Brothers and Sisters
by Negaduck
Summary: Fraggle Rock is invaded by Silly Creatures in the form of two Muppets.
1. 1: Into the Woods

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 1: Into the Woods**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

It was not a dark and stormy night. It had, in fact, been weeks since the last dark and stormy night. A more accurate description would be that it was a warm and sunny Tuesday midmorning in late June. Birds were chirping, children were playing, and adults were grumbling as they hosed pollen off their cars.

In a basement apartment, Scooter was reading and occasionally tapping on the screen of a tablet while Janken Fraggle washed the breakfast dishes. That took very little time, as he owned only enough tableware to serve two.

When he finished he sat on the couch beside Scooter. "Anything?"

"The usual. Reactions to the weekend's show, and questions about this and that."

"Uh huh." That was typical. Scooter had begun posting as himself on several message boards, and once the members had assured themselves that "Greensleeves" was really him the questions had begun flowing. He had expected that, of course. If he wasn't careful it took up more of his free time than he liked, but, he believed, someone ought to keep a line open to the fans. Thankfully, for the most part they accepted that Scooter couldn't spend hours a day on message boards.

He finished the post he had been typing, hit enter, then logged out. "You wanna get on?"

"Sure." Janken took the pad and signed in. Using the screenname "Martin" he was still anonymous, although he doubted his identity would matter except to the few fans who knew the names of every background bird and Frackle. In any case, he was content to lurk most of the time. Conversations didn't seem real to him if they weren't face to face. He read a few threads he had been watching, then logged off again. He remarked, "The boarding house must be half empty by now."

"It is."

The Muppets had been filming a show a week for several months, and they were taking a two-week break to recharge their batteries, come up with new ideas, and generally avoid burnout. Those Muppets with the resources were going on road trips or traveling in other ways. Last week Scooter and Janken had been informed that they, too, had plans.

Janken glanced at the door. "She's here."

"How do you know?"

Janken tapped the side of his head. "I know what her car sounds like."

Scooter hadn't heard anything. He said, "I'll take your word for it."

Someone rapped on the door. Janken grinned smugly. Scooter said, "Okay, you have good hearing," and went to open it.

Skeeter was at the door, wearing a sleeveless jacket that was white many years of wear and tear ago, cutoff jeans, and boots. "You guys ready?"

"Yep," Scooter said. "Got the stuff you told us to get." He and Janken picked up their backpacks.

"And you're leaving _that _behind," she said sternly with a gesture at the tablet on the couch.

"Yes, ma'am," Scooter replied. "I'd lose my bookmarks if you used it as a skipping stone. But I'm bringing my phone. In case of emergency."

"I guess I'll let you have that," Skeeter said. "Can you drive a stick?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She paused, surprised, then said, "You're driving first, then. It's a ways, and I'm not gonna do all the driving."

Scooter shrugged. "All right. Tell me where to go."

"Get on Highway 40. Drive down to exit 70. I'll take over there."

"Right."

They loaded their backpacks into the trunk of a rather old but well-maintained station wagon. Scooter and Skeeter got into the front, and Janken occupied the back. Skeeter watched warily as Scooter started the car, then backed it down the driveway. Looking in one direction, he said, "Am I clear on your side?"

She looked, then reported, "Nobody's coming."

Scooter backed into the road, turned, and drove down the road. After they made it to the highway with no difficulties Skeeter said, "I don't believe it. I didn't think you could actually drive this. I was just teasing you."

He replied, "Sure I can drive a car this big. Sometimes I drive the bus to and from the theater."

"Then why d'you putz around on that dinky bike instead of getting yourself a car?"

"How much parking do you think we have at the boarding house? A bike suits me, anyway. It doesn't need gas. And it's paid for."

"There's that," she acknowledged.

When they got on the highway a window in the back opened, causing the air to eddy around strangely in the car. Skeeter twisted around to look back. Janken had opened the window and stuck his head out. "Janken! What're you doing?"

"Rowlf showed me how to do this," the Fraggle replied, shouting above the wind. "The bus never gets going this fast."

"Get back in here and buckle up!" She yanked his tail for emphasis.

He pulled his head back in. His hair was blown back and he was blinking rapidly. "How does Rowlf keep his eyes from drying out?"

Scooter said, "They're not on the top of his head, for one thing."

"Ow," Janken said as he buckled his seatbelt by touch. Then he leaned back, eyes closed and watering.

* * *

They drove for an hour before Skeeter directed Scooter to a rest stop. They got out to make use of the facilities, then swapped places. Skeeter drove down an off-ramp, then onto a street, then a smaller street, then a road that led into a wooded area. Now Scooter understood why she had him drive the first part and took the second half for herself. He'd never have been able to figure this out.

The road ended at a small blacktop parking lot. When they got out it was quiet enough that they could hear their ears ringing faintly from the noise of the car. Skeeter said, "You guys get out the packs. I'll check us in."

"Gotcha," Scooter replied.

Skeeter turned and went to the cabin at the end of the blacktop. She pushed the door open and called out "I'm here" as she walked over to the desk. There was a wooden chair nearby; she snagged it and pulled it over, then climbed onto it so she could see over the desk.

The man on the other side of the desk was used to this performance. "Hi, Skeeter. The usual?"

She leaned on her elbows and said, "Yeah, plus two. I've brought my brother and a friend of his. We all have our own gear."

"You've pretty much got the place to yourself for the next few days. Nobody else has planned to come up 'til the weekend. Need a GPS?"

She gave him a dirty look. "Get outta here! I got the emergency numbers on my cell phone. I'll program 'em into my brother's too, just in case."

He took out a card and handed it to her. She said, "Frequently asked question, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Anyhow, I'll keep watch on the boys. See you in a few days."

"Have fun."

When she came back out Scooter and Janken had gotten out their backpacks and were parceling out the bundles of rods and canvas that would eventually become a tent. Not doing a bad job of it either, considering that Scooter's last camping experience had been with the Boy Scouts and all Janken knew about the wilderness was how to live in it. She helped them with their packs, then picked hers up, locked the car, and said, "It's all set. Let's go."

* * *

The packs were heavy, but nobody complained. Skeeter was used to carrying camping gear around, and Janken and Scooter both wangled heavier props on a regular basis. They walked side by side, chatting as they went. Skeeter asked, "Any of the others taking vacations?"

Scooter replied, "Yeah. Lots of 'em, actually. Piggy's flying out to Paris today. She'll probably help the economies of two nations. And Kermit's already left for the swamp."

Janken remarked, "I'd've thought he'd be getting a jump on the next set of shows."

Scooter said, "Nah, he needs a break at least as much as the rest of us. And he really does like to go back home to his family."

"I know how he feels. Oh, and Pepe and Clifford and the Electric Mayhem and some others are going down to New Orleans."

Skeeter pictured the Mayhem happily jamming with other musicians down there, and Clifford enjoying the night life. But Pepe? "The shrimp'd better watch out he doesn't end up breaded."

"He is a _king prawn_, h'okay?" Janken replied, imitating Pepe's accent.

"Yeah, yeah, seafood by any other name."

They emerged into a clearing. The grass was short, and the center was a stone-lined pit, clearly used for campfires. Skeeter swung her pack down and said, "Here we are. Let's set up the tent."

Scooter and Janken put down their packs and took off the bundles of rods that would make up the tent skeleton. Skeeter had been carrying the canvas. She said, "I can set this up myself, but it's a lot easier with some help."

"Tell us what to do," Scooter said.

She arranged the rods, and all three put them together within the canvas loops and raised the tent. It was cozy for two humans, which meant it would be spacious for three Muppet-sized people. She checked the inside, then came back out and said, "Let's let it air out for a few hours. I'll show you the water supply."

She took out a canteen, then put her pack inside the tent. When Scooter started to put his pack on she said, "Leave that here. There's nothing around here that'd mess with it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. This isn't Jellystone. Hardly any critters live here, and they've never come into a camp while I was there."

"Okay." Scooter left his pack in the tent, and Janken followed his lead. The three went off into the forest carrying only their canteens.

* * *

After a short hike under the green canopy they saw the glimmer of sunlight ahead. It was on the ground instead of above the treetops. Then Janken heard the sound of water flowing. It was close enough now for him to smell, and it smelled like more than a little trickle. He rushed ahead. Scooter and Skeeter saw him dart between several trees, then stop, tail raised high.

When they caught up he was standing on a boulder overhanging a slow-moving creek that flowed through a rocky bed that was ten yards across at the widest spot. In some places it was shallow enough to show the rock below, in others it was a deep blue-green. Dark shadows of fish moved about in the depths. Janken was looking all about, drinking the scenery in, tail wagging excitedly.

Skeeter waved a hand in front of the Fraggle's eyes, and grinned when he snapped out of his trance. "Like what you see?"

As Skeeter dipped her canteen into the water Janken asked, "You said this water's safe, right?"

"Yeah."

"No chlorine?"

"Yep. Just water and fish."

Janken tore off his jacket, dropped his canteen on top of it, and flung himself into the water with a cry of _"Whoopee!"_

Scooter held up a hand to protect his glasses from the splash. He told Skeeter, "That went over well."

"Sheesh! Yeah." She wiped her glasses off on her shirt. "That looks like a good idea. You brought your bathing suit, right?"

"Sure. You told me to."

"Let's suit up."

Scooter turned back and called to Janken and said, "We'll be right back!" Janken waved acknowledgment, then dove again to look at the fish.

Soon the fish darted away as the water was bombarded by two more cannonballs.

* * *

All characters except Janken Fraggle are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC and are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken is copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com), as is the overall story. Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	2. 2: Yakkety Yak

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 2: Yakkety Yak  
**by Kim McFarland

* * *

Eventually hunger called Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken out of the water. Knowing how blind the twins were without their glasses, Janken got their eyewear, which they had left on a rock by the side of the stream, and handed them to their owners. When Skeeter put hers on she was looking at Janken. His hair and fur was plastered to his body, making him look weird and scrawny. She stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You look like a wet rat," she told him, giggling.

Mildly Janken replied, "You've seen a lot of wet rats?"

Scooter said, "I have. They shower in the morning like everyone else. Jan looks nothing like 'em."

Scooter and Skeeter toweled off. Janken did not have a towel; the air was warm and he was comfortable wet. They made their way back to their camp. Scooter and Skeeter took turns changing back into their clothes in the tent. Then the twins built a campfire. Janken, never having made one himself, watched with interest. By the time the fire was big enough for them to break out their lunch Janken was merely damp. Fraggle fur dries fast.

Scooter and Skeeter both spitted hot dogs on sticks. Janken, being an herbivore, carefully spitted several radishes and held them over the fire. After toasting their lunches, they ate them right off the sticks. Skeeter said, "Admit it, doesn't it feel good to get away from it all?"

"Yeah, you're right," Scooter replied.

"Yep," Janken agreed.

Skeeter fed several more sticks to the campfire. "We've got several days out here with the forest to ourselves. They said nobody else is coming up 'til the weekend. So there's one rule I wanna set right now."

Scooter asked, "What's that?"

She looked up from the fire again and looked at Scooter and Janken, sitting together on the other side of the fire. "I know you're... boyfriends, or lovers, or whatever you call yourselves. I'm fine with that. In fact, I think you make a great couple. And you're good at keeping it a secret, otherwise it'd be all over the fan sites. But now there's nobody but me here, so don't put on an act, okay?"

Scooter and Janken exchanged surprised looks. Scooter said, "Ah, what do you mean?"

A little flustered, Skeeter said, "Just act like you want to. I mean, I'm not going to get weird about it, that's all."

After an awkward pause Janken said, "I understand what you mean, but, well, we really aren't hiding anything. Single-sexed Fraggles don't act any special way, and neither of us got into the gay scene. We never learned to act different."

Scooter said, "I know what you're saying, sis. And thanks." He put his free arm around Janken in a one-sided hug.

Relieved, Skeeter said, "Yeah." She ought to drop the topic then, she thought, but she had one more thing to say. "Y'know... at first I thought, 'they're gay, so what, nothing wrong with being different.' But it doesn't seem like that any more."

"How so?" Scooter asked.

"The more I see you two together, the less different it seems. I mean, once you wrap your head around the idea that you're both guys, well, you just act normal. I mean, you seem like a typical couple. Doesn't really matter that you're both guys." She leaned her chin in one hand. "I bet if people knew more couples like you, they wouldn't think it was weird at all. Peoples is peoples."

Surprised, Scooter said, "I never thought I'd see the day."

She replied, "What, that I'd get some sense?"

"No, that you'd quote _The Muppets Take Manhattan_ at me."

Janken nudged him. "I like her."

She teased, "So when're you getting married?"

That startled them both. After a pause Janken said to Scooter, "Why, are you pregnant?"

Scooter replied in a tone of bafflement, "No. Are you?"

Skeeter said, "Dang! I remember when that would've thrown you for a loop, little bro."

"Hmmm...take two?" Scooter said. He handed Janken his stick and found his canteen. Unscrewing the cap, he told Skeeter, "Feed us again."

It was her turn to be puzzled. "What?"

"Say it again. The straight line."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. When are you getting married?" she said as Scooter took a swig from the canteen.

Janken turned to Scooter and said, "Why? Are you pregnant?"

Skeeter jumped as Scooter spat a fine mist of water at the campfire, which flickered wildly, sending up a puff of steam. Wiping his mouth, Scooter said, "How was that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing worse than smart-alec theater nerds. Nice special effect, though."

"Cheap effects are a Muppet specialty," he told her, clearly pleased with himself.

Janken handed Scooter's stick back, saying "Mind if I field this one?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Janken told Skeeter, "We haven't really considered it. On one hand, that makes it public, and as far as we're concerned it's nobody's business but our own. And on the other, Fraggles don't marry. We form bonds, sure, but we don't claim each other, 'you're mine and I'm yours and nobody else's.' That's just not how we think. If love is real, it's real with or without a ceremony or legal permission. And it's real." He kissed Scooter's cheek.

* * *

The conversation faded as they ate their toasted lunches. After that, they set out for a hike. They only took their canteens with them, as they were going to come back by dinnertime. After a little while Janken asked, "How do you keep from getting lost?"

"I know this place. Trust me."

"I do trust you—but _how_ can you tell where we are? All I can see is trees! They all look alike!"

She told him, "There's the slope of the ground, and familiar paths, and little landmarks, and the direction of the sun, and a lot of other little things. If I got lost—and it may or may not have happened once or twice before—I could just go east to find the creek, then follow it upstream until I get back to familiar territory. Or walk north. Or, if all else failed, I could call in to the station and tell 'em to make some noise or shine a beacon for me to home in on."

"Call the station? On what?" Scooter asked suspiciously.

_Oops._ "Okay, so I brought my cell too. Sue me."

"Gotcha," Scooter said with a grin.

_"Anyway_, if you get separated from us, just yell and we'll find you," she told Janken.

"You can count on that."

They came to what at first looked like a clearing, with sunshine on the other side of the trees. Janken looked through, and was startled to see low, covered mountains stretching off into the distance. In a low spot between two of them sunlight glittered off the surface of a lake. Up above, the sky was a serene blue, light at the horizons and vivid overhead, spotted by wisps of cloud.

Scooter said, "Quite a view, huh?"

Mesmerized, Janken said, "I can hardly take it in. I've never seen so much _distance._ Even though I know I can't, it feels like I ought to be able to reach out and touch the other side."

Skeeter guessed that, being a cave-dwelling creature, he wouldn't be used to seeing things more than a few hundred feet away. But he'd been on the surface for years...in a city, with buildings blocking the way in every direction. "Scary?"

"No. Strange. Overwhelming, I guess. Makes me feel tiny." Needing to change the subject to something more immediate and practical, he stepped back and asked, "Um. Is anything that grows around here good to eat?"

"Huh? Yeah." She glanced around, then plucked a few tightly curled fern heads that were just starting to grow. "These, for instance. Fiddleheads." She gave one to Janken and offered the other to Scooter. "Have a taste?"

"I'll pass," Scooter said.

"Suit yourself," Skeeter said, and bit in.

Janken did as well. He chewed thoughtfully—it was pleasant and crisp—then said, "Nice. Salady."

"There are other things. Um, if you can eat what we can. You can, right?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I can tell if something's bad for me. We Fraggles are good at not poisoning ourselves," he assured her.

"Good. Still, stay away from mushrooms. It's easy to mix up the good and bad ones without really knowing your biz, and with some one nibble is enough to do you in," she said seriously.

"Okay, okay."

Scooter said, "Sounds like you've spent a whole lot of time camping."

"Yeah. Camping, hiking, mountain climbing. I thought that looked like a whole lot more fun than spending four more years in school, so I ran off to the national parks after high school. That's why you didn't hear much from me. I wasn't in range of a post office all that often."

"Oh," Scooter said, nodding.

"Anyhow, either of you any good at fishing? Wait, herbivores don't fish, right?"

"Yeah."

"Does it bug you if others do?"

Smiling, he shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine as long as I don't have to eat it."

Scooter said, "Take that part seriously, sis. You don't want to know what happened the one time he tried a hot dog."

Janken made a face. "Thanks so much for reminding me."

"Sorry."

Skeeter said, "In that case, let's catch our dinner, Scoot."

"Yeah."

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter fished in the river. Skeeter had brought line and hooks, but they had to supply their own rods and bait from what was available. The result was, in Scooter's opinion, Tom Sawyer-ish. But it worked, and they caught one decent-sized fish each while Janken swam upstream, safe from their hooks. Janken also absented himself while they cleaned the fish—and, truthfully, Scooter wished he could have skipped that part as well. But, he supposed, they were going to be doing this a lot while they were here, so he grimly did his best at the messy task, ignoring Skeeter's smug grin.

It was worth it, however, when they roasted their catch over the campfire. Forget fancy cooking; there was something cool about eating a dinner you caught yourself. Janken felt a little of the same pride, having gathered a meal of various greens and nuts and berries that he had found nearby. He had had Skeeter look it over, more for her peace of mind than his. He didn't have to wait for it to cook, either; he ate his salad raw. After he finished he sat back, looking at the patch of sky above the clearing and listening to Scooter and Skeeter's conversation.

"Does this remind you of anything?" she asked.

"No. Should it?" Scooter replied.

"Remember how we used to have adventures when we were little kids."

Scooter laughed. "Oh, yeah. We made up all sorts of stuff."

"Expeditions, battles, anything neat on TV..."

"We had one heck of a fantasy life back then."

Skeeter poked at the fire with her stick. "Not much else you can do when you're cooped up in a nursery. But we didn't know that at the time. We just had fun."

"Yeah."

They both were quiet for a moment, thinking about those years. The earliest they could clearly remember was the nursery they had spent their time in before they were old enough to go to school. Scooter said, "You know, I can remember our nanny's voice clear as anything, but heck if I can remember what she looked like."

"I remember she was real tall and wore striped socks."

"Heh, the socks, I remember those too. But do you remember her face?"

Skeeter paused, then said, "No. Now that you mention it, I don't. That's weird."

"Yeah. But...I don't remember anything about our mother at all."

"Ne neither. She died when we were just babies, you know. Who remembers back that far?"

"Yeah..."

There was another pause. Janken sat up and said, "I'm going to go for a swim. I'll be back before it gets dark."

Skeeter said, "What, _again?"_

Janken replied, "Yep, again. The water's still wet and I'm still a Fraggle. Plus, it sounds like you and Scooter have stuff to talk about. I'll be back at sunset." He patted Scooter's shoulder, then left.

Skeeter remarked, "It's a wonder he's ever dry. He must be a real bathroom hog."

Scooter said, "Not really. I think it's the running water that does it. He loves swimming—says it's the Fraggle Rock national sport—but he can't stand chlorinated water."

"Huh. Go figure," she said.

Scooter said, "Skeet...our nanny, I found out what her name was."

"You did? Funny, I never thought of her as anything but Nanny. What is it?"

"Barbara. After Uncle JP passed on, I had to dig through a lot of old records and stuff, and I found hers."

"Did you try to find her? I'd like to see her again," Skeeter said with great interest.

Scooter shook his head. "Sorry. I did try to look her up. She passed on too."

She wilted. "Aw, jeez. I wish you hadn't told me that."

"Sorry."

"Never mind. Thanks. Um, when?"

"Eleven years ago. Summer."

"Huh...I think I was doing parkour in California then."

"Parkour? What's that?"

"It's when you go from here to there, kind of like a race, but with obstacles. Walls, fences, anything. You go over, under, through, whatever. It's less about speed than skill and style."

"Wow," Scooter said. "Mountain climbing, wilderness stuff, now that. You've done a whole lot I'd never have the nerve to try."

"Eh," Skeeter said, looking away. "So what?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Well, I spent years and years doing that stuff. But after a while I wanted to come back and see my nerdy little brother, and you've been making movies and TV shows while I've been wandering around in the woods and climbing rocks. People will remember you for what you've done. Me, all I've made are footprints."

"C'mon, sis. You always said the Muppets were la-la land."

"I guess some la-la is okay," she said sheepishly. "I just mean, my nerdy little brother's done pretty well. A career, a lot of friends, and Janken. Part of the reason I went back to college here was that, well, you were living here and I kinda wanted to get back in touch with you."

"I'm glad you came back, Skeet."

"Thanks, nerd," she said. They shared a grin. By now that was a term of affection, not an insult.

They were quiet for a while, just watching the fire and occasionally feeding it more branches. Then Skeeter said, "This is something I've never told anyone about..."

"Uh-huh."

"It was years ago. I was touring national parks, hiking around and climbing the mountains and stuff. There are a lot of little groups that do that. You can find small, almost like villages, except they're temporary, all tents and things. Some people spend years there, climbing mountains. Anyhow, I met someone there. Her name was Idgie. She taught me a whole lot more than the Scouts ever did, especially about climbing and other rough terrain stuff. For a while we were a team. Had some great times together."

Scooter had a guess as to where this was heading, but from the way Skeeter was telling the story, staring into the fire rather than looking at him, he couldn't be sure. "Okay."

"We'd been camping together for, I think, half a year, going to this place and that. Sometimes we went into town to get supplies and things, and, well, get away from getting away from civilization, if you know what I mean. This one time she said, why don't we go dancing, there's a club she knows here. I told her I wasn't much on dancing with people I don't know. She said, well, you know me, silly. And I guess I just went blank for a second. Like, huh? Then I kinda laughed and said, what, what the heck do you think I am?"

Scooter didn't say anything, and he was glad that she was looking at the fire rather than his face. After a pause she continued, "We saw a movie instead, and we got our supplies. And, well, soon after that we just kind of went our separate ways. At the time I didn't think much about it, but after you told us what it felt like, being treated like there was something wrong with you... jeez, I didn't have to be that mean about it, did I? It's not like she was being pushy or anything. I could've just said, sorry, that's not my scene."

He got up, sat beside her, and put an arm around her shoulders. He didn't know what else to do.

She continued, "Sometimes I wish I could get in touch with her again, just to say sorry I was a creep, and I hope she found someone to dance with."

"Have you tried to find her?" he asked softly.

"I haven't had the nerve," she replied.

He offered, "I could give it a try. I have a black belt in google-fu."

"I don't even know her last name. She was just Idgie and I was just Skeeter." She looked at him sheepishly. "I guess I had to fess up to someone. I can't say sorry to her, so I'm saying it to you."

"It's all right," he said softly, patting her shoulder.

* * *

The sky was darkening when Janken returned, his fur damp. "You should have seen the sunset over the lake. It was beautiful," he said as he rooted around in his backpack. He got out a few radishes and crunched into one.

"Oh, great. Now he's gonna have dragon breath," Scooter told Skeeter.

"It'll be fine by the time I dry off," Janken said mildly, munching on the vegetables. He sat in front of the fire to dry his fur.

They talked for a while longer, until the stars came out. By that time Janken's fur had dried completely and the campfire had burned down to coals. It was circled by stones, with nothing flammable nearby, and there was no wind to blow anything around; it'd be safe.

They settled into their sleeping bags. One for each, to Janken's regret. He liked to sleep cuddled up to someone else, but he understood that that had a different meaning for Silly Creatures, who did not necessarily fall asleep when it got dark the way Fraggles do. Oh well.

* * *

All three awoke when one side of the tent bowed inward, as if something was scrabbling at it, trying to claw through. They yelled, and something outside cried out as well. Skeeter grabbed a heavy flashlight, one that she knew from experience would double as a bludgeon, and darted out. The fire outside the tent was nearly dead, but the weak light from the coals still managed to mess up her night vision. She could not see the fleeing creature clearly. She shone the flashlight at it, and saw a small brown and white shape disappear into the forest.

"What the heck was that?" Scooter exclaimed.

Skeeter shook her head. Probably just some critter that got curious about our fire." She walked around the tent and inspected the side of the tent. "No harm done. It's not even scratched. Ground's a little scuffled, but I don't see clawmarks in the dirt. Probably a fawn or something. After the welcome we gave it, it'll keep its distance in the future."

"You're sure about that?" Scooter asked.

"Yeah. Nothing dangerous lives around here. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so, sis."

They returned to their tent, and when nothing else happened, fell back asleep.

* * *

All characters except Janken Fraggle are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC and are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken is copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com), as is the overall story. Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	3. 3: Things that go Bump in the Night

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 3: Things That Go Bump in the Night**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

It was a dark and silent night. Right here, anyway; where they had just come from it was a typical noisy midday. This was not unusual. When you traveled to other places, day and night and weather and even seasons often fell out of sync. What else could you expect from other worlds?

The limestone cave had given way to bare dirt. "This must've been dug by some animal. But was it digging in or out?"

"It could have been made by a Fraggle. A particularly brave and adventurous one."

"Don't tell me you dug it, Uncle Matt. Even you aren't silly enough to dig a dirt tunnel when there are already more caves and passages than we know what to do with."

Traveling Matt Fraggle cleared his throat. "Well, anyway, Nephew Gobo, we have found another path to Outer Space, and it is our duty to explore it."

Matt strode down the tunnel without hesitation. Gobo was hesitant enough for them both. His Uncle Matt was a paradox: jumpy enough to panic if you tapped him on the shoulder unexpectedly, but brave enough to face the myriad unknown dangers of Outer Space without a second thought. He imagined Red remarking that Matt couldn't have second thoughts because that'd mean he had first thoughts for them to follow. Which wasn't true. Red just liked snarking at Uncle Matt.

Matt stuck his head out above ground. "Well, well, what a messy place. It looks like we've discovered a swamp."

Gobo made himself look out. "I don't think so. Swamps are wet and squelchy."

Matt climbed out of the hole and looked around. "Well, er, the water's probably nearby. In Outer Space water is often gathered into large bodies that dwarf our cave streams and pools."

"Oh."

Matt held out a hand to Gobo. There was nothing for Gobo to do but take it and step out of the safety of the hole, into Outer Space. Everything was huge. Trees reached up into the darkness, blotting out the sky. Leaves littered the ground, and grasses and shrubs and ferns and things grew everywhere. Strange buzzes and chirps came from all around. As his eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight coming down through small breaks in the canopy he saw...nothing but tree trunks and underbrush extending off into the distance in every direction.

"Come, Nephew Gobo. Let's explore this brave new world." Matt started walking downslope.

"Wait! Aren't we going to mark this so we can find it again?"

Matt turned back, amused. "I have _never _needed to mark things or make maps. I can find my way without them. Besides, what would you mark it with, and what would you put on a map besides all these trees?"

Gobo gritted his teeth. This was an old argument. They used to fight over which way of exploring was better, Matt's seemingly random method or Gobo's surer, mapmaking approach. Gobo knew that his maps were utterly reliable, and furthermore would lead future generations of Fraggles. But he had to admit that Matt somehow always found his way around. "Fine. Lead the way, Uncle Matt."

* * *

As they walked Matt kept up a running commentary. "It's actually for the best that we came here at night. All of the creatures will be asleep."

"As anyone with any sense would be," Gobo remarked.

Matt stopped and held up one hand. "Hark, do you hear that?"

Gobo listened. There was nothing big or scary-sounding that he could hear. "No. What is it?"

"Come with me!" Matt took off downslope.

Gobo followed, because Matt wouldn't run directly into danger. Not knowingly, at least.

Matt stopped at the edge of a stream so wide that Gobo wouldn't be able to throw a stone across it. Matt said, "This is just a _little _space stream. Want to go for a swim, boy?"

Gobo hesitated. "Ah, you first."

"I'm just going to dip my feet."

Matt sat down on a rock at the bank and untied his shoes. Gobo looked into the water. It was clear, and smelled of the strange things of outer space, but, strangeness aside, it seemed fresh. In the water were little dark moving things. Healthy water always had things living in it. Even if they were space fish, that reassured Gobo. He sat beside Matt and dunked his feet in the water. It was cool and pleasant.

Matt lowered his feet into the stream as well. "Aren't you going to go in?"

"Maybe some other time. For now this is enough."

"Suit yourself. Look at that sky."

Gobo glanced up. He had been so focused on the water that he hadn't given a thought to the sky. A big full moon shone down on them from almost directly above. The sky was full of stars. He looked for a while, then said, "I don't see any of the usual constellations."

"Different world, different sky," Matt answered.

"Yeah, I guess so. But... even though the pattern's not the same, it's not _that _different from the sky above the Gorgs' garden."

* * *

After a while they continued exploring. Matt followed his instinct, which led them uphill. Soon a faint light appeared in the distance. Matt hustled toward it. Gobo followed, trying to swallow his nervousness. When they got close Matt turned back to Gobo and whispered, "We must be quiet. These are the Cloth-Cave Creatures. They live in forests and stand perfectly still, looking at one thing only and never saying a word. I believe they are meditating. We must not disturb them."

"Where are they?" Gobo whispered back.

Matt scanned the area. "That's odd. I don't see any. They're usually a little taller than a Fraggle, and stand on three long, thin, straight legs. They have only one eye. When you get close to them they click at you, and sometimes they flash a light. That is how they warn you away from their sacred spots."

"Wow," Gobo breathed.

"They may be away. We can look at their cave without disturbing their meditation." He started forward again with what he liked to think of as stealth.

Gobo followed. Matt went right up to the cloth cave. The fabric was heavy, suitable for making backpacks from. It was held up by strange, curved sticks. He walked around one corner, and, not noticing the stake, tripped over one of the anchor ropes and fell against the side of the cave.

Horrible cries sounded from within. Gobo yelped and darted back into the forest, away from the commotion. Matt screamed, struggled to free himself from the rope that had tangled in his shoelace, and then fled after Gobo. A light shone on him, and he ran as hard as he could.

* * *

Matt ran until he was exhausted, then stopped and panted, heart hammering, whimpering under his breath. It was in this state that Gobo found him. Gobo had thought he was terrified, but his uncle looked even worse off. Gobo said, "Uncle Matt-"

Matt startled and squawked, then hissed in a whisper, "Don't _do_ that!"

Gobo put a comforting arm around Matt's shoulders. "We're safe now, Uncle Matt. They didn't chase us. I don't think they were going to hurt us. They just wanted us to go away."

Matt looked back. He had run so far, he could see no sigh of the campfire in the distance. "Yes. I suppose so. They usually don't react so noisily."

"Let's go home now. I don't know about you, but that run gave me an appetite."

Matt seized on the opportunity to salvage his dignity. "Yes. That's a capital idea, Nephew Gobo. Now that we've scouted this area we can go home, secure in the knowledge of a job well done."

"Yeah. Um... do you know where the hole was?"

"Oh, really, Gobo. Follow me."

* * *

Eventually they found the hole, and returned to Fraggle Rock.

* * *

All characters are copyright © The Jim Henson Company, LLC and are used without permission but with much respect and affection. The overall story is copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	4. 4: The Cave Between the Worlds

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 4: The Cave Between The Worlds**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

It was morning. Birds were twittering in the trees, asserting the boundaries of their territories and informing other birds what they intended to do with or to those who encroached upon their space. The sound was pretty if you didn't know what they were saying.

Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken emerged from their tent. Skeeter, holding a sturdy pot, said, "One of you fill this with water and I'll make us breakfast."

Scooter took it. "I'll get it."

Janken said, "I'll come with."

They walked into the woods while Skeeter built a new fire atop the remains of the old. In a few minutes she had a new fire and was feeding it small dry sticks to build up its strength. Scooter came back, carrying the pot. Skeeter said, "Where's—don't tell me, he fell in the river, right?"

"Yep. Are you surprised?"

"Nope. Is he gonna be like this the whole time?"

"I'm afraid so."

She added some sticks to the fire. "In that case, we'd better take along our bathing suits when we hike."

"I've already got mine on under my jeans."

"Smart." The fire was now big enough to heat water. She set a collapsible metal frame over the fire and stuck the pot on top. The flames licked the bottom of the pot.

He went around to the side of the tent. One of the stakes had been loosened, and the ground was scuffled. "Skeeter, come look at this."

She came around. "Yeah, I checked it out while you were getting the water."

"I'd think there'd be pawprints or hoofprints or something."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you." She shrugged.

* * *

Soon the water was beginning to steam. Skeeter sent Scooter out with their three canteens. Scooter came back with the canteens and a dripping wet Fraggle. Janken was munching on some berries and carrying a large, folded leaf in both hands. Skeeter remarked, "If we lost you here, you'd just eat and swim until we found you, wouldn't you?"

"Yep."

Well, here." She handed them both mugs. Scooter's first thought was that she had made coffee, but instead it was hot chocolate. Next she handed around granola bars. Janken set the folded leaf on the ground. It was full of berries he had picked on the way back. Skeeter glanced them over and saw that they were all safe to eat. "Cool," she said, taking some.

Scooter said, "He makes good breakfasts. Too bad we don't have eggs for an omelet."

"Oh? How good are you at climbing?" Skeeter replied.

Janken glanced up thoughtfully.

* * *

When they finished Skeeter said, "We're gonna be away from here a while. Let's douse the campfire."

"Yeah," Scooter agreed.

The twins poured their canteens on the small fire, which by now had burned low. Scooter stirred it around until it was a muddy mess. Janken asked, "How'll we make a fire in there later?"

"It's lined with rock. Just rake out the mess and it'll dry fast enough."

"Oh."

They filled their packs with enough supplies for a day-long hike, secured everything else inside their tent, which they zippered shut. Scooter asked his sister, "Where are we going now, Leatherstocking?"

"I was thinking we could try following the trail of that thing that bumped into us last night. I gotta admit, I'm curious about it." They walked around to that side of the tent. "I'm not an expert tracker, but I'd like to see how far we can get."

"Sure," Scooter replied. He doubted they'd find anything, but it'd be fun to give it a try. He pointed. "It took off that way." They set off.

Janken said skeptically, "After it got out of sight it might have turned or gone off in any other direction. How'd we be able to find it then?"

She answered, "You can see where things have run because the leaves get kicked around, undergrowth gets crushed or bent, or fur snagged on bushes or tree bark, or a lot of other little signs. Like here," she said, pointing at some moss growing on an exposed tree root. "See where it's scraped here? The moss was kicked in the direction of our tent by something moving away fast."

"Oh, yeah," Janken said, impressed.

Scooter, who was walking ahead, said "Here's some bent stems."

"Yeah. It was still going this way," Skeeter said approvingly.

They followed the trail slowly. Scooter and Skeeter were having fun; it was like being in the scouts again. Janken observed, but he was also alert for more practical things. "Hey, Skeeter. These are edible, right?" he asked, pointing at a smallish tree that had fruit hanging from the branches.

"Yeah, those are crab apples. They're not worth it unless you're _really_ hungry."

"I wanna try one," Janken said. He set his backpack on the ground and skittered up the tree.

Surprised, Skeeter said, "I thought he was a cave critter, not a monkey."

"It's a Fraggle thing, I guess. He also climbs around in the fly space at the theater. It's great when something or someone gets caught in the ropes."

"Want some?" Janken called down.

"I'll pass," Skeeter answered.

"Me too," Scooter added.

Janken said, "Suit yourself. Hey!" He climbed higher.

They waited, wondering what the Fraggle was up to. After a few minutes Janken climbed back down, jumping the last few feet, a branch bearing a cluster of crabapples held between his teeth like a pirate's sword. Grinning widely, he said, "There was a bird's nest up there. It had eggs."

"Big enough for an omelet?" Scooter joked.

"Nah, not unless you're a Doozer. Besides, I couldn't take them. There's baby birds growing in them."

"So, have you tried the crabapples?"

"I forgot to when I saw the nest." He pulled one of the apples from the branch and bit in.

Skeeter began giggling at the expression on his face. "Sour, huh?"

"Yeah." Janken chewed and swallowed reluctantly. Then he said, "Wow." He did not take another bite.

"This is coming from someone who eats radishes by the handful," Scooter remarked.

"Maybe they'll be better roasted," Janken said, and put the rest of the fruit in his backpack. Then he looked around for something to get the flavor out of his mouth. He found another young fern and began eating it.

"The whole world's your salad bar, isn't it?" Scooter remarked.

"Yup."

* * *

They found more evidence of a trail. Skeeter saw some white fur snagged on a bush. It puzzled them all, as it was long and fluffy, like an animal's winter fur. Janken said, "Maybe someone's dog got loose?"

"Maybe," Skeeter said doubtfully. It didn't look like dog fur to her.

* * *

The trail disappeared on a hillside. After looking around a bit Skeeter said, "That's it. It stopped running here, so we're not gonna be able to follow it any further. Still, we did pretty well, considering."

"It could've gone into this hole," Scooter said from downslope.

Skeeter and Janken both walked down to take a look. It was a small tunnel, about two feet around, leading straight back into the hill. "Yeah, probably. It looks like a big foxhole, but I didn't think there were any foxes around here."

Janken walked up to the hole and stuck his head in. Skeeter grabbed his tail and yanked. Janken squawked, then exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! What was that for?"

"Because it's dumb to stick your head in an animal's lair, that's what!"

"There's nothing in there. I could smell it if there was," Janken told her. "And it goes way back. Hey, maybe there are caves down here."

"Not around here," Skeeter said.

"I wanna check it out," Janken said, and went in. Less than a minute later he poked his head out and said, "It _is_ a cave!"

Skeeter folded her arms. "Yeah, right."

Scooter shrugged at his sister, then said, "Let's see."

Before long he looked back out and told her, "There's an actual cave down here."

"You're kidding. In these hills?"

"Come see for yourself."

"All right, all right." Skeeter walked in behind her brother.

The earthen tunnel led down in a gentle slope. Then Scooter stepped out of the way, and Skeeter saw that it opened into a larger cave. The walls were gray stone. There was even a trickle running down one wall among smooth flowstone formations like melted wax. Janken scooped up some water from the small pool on the floor and said happily, "This is a live cave."

Skeeter was looking around in all directions. "There aren't supposed to be caves in this area! And why isn't it dark?" She searched the ceiling for a hole.

Janken said, "This is a _living_ cave. If it's here, it's _supposed_ to be here. Maybe it's here for us."

"What are you talking about?" Scooter asked.

Janken chuckled. "Guys, I'm a _Fraggle_. I know caves! Trust me?"

"All right," Scooter said.

It was obvious to Janken that Scooter didn't really believe, and Skeeter really didn't believe. Well, that was all right. He said, "Come on," and entered the passage that led further in.

The air was cool and fresh, and just humid enough to be comfortable. It led them to a white cave that was less a room than the intersection of numerous tunnels and passages. Janken looked around, wide-eyed, then said in a hushed voice, "Don't touch anything. Not even the walls."

"Why?" Skeeter asked, looking at the white flowstone formation next to her.

"If we are where we think we are, then—well, touching the wrong thing could get you lost. Um! Do either of you have something I can make a mark with? I don't want to mislay our way out."

Skeeter shook her head. "I didn't pack a pencil."

Scooter took out his cell phone. "I could take a picture of it."

"Yeah!" Janken glanced around, then found a distinctive rock formation in the center of the room. He said, "Stand here to take it."

Scooter nodded and went over to the rock, then pointed at the camera at the tunnel. After fiddling a bit to widen its focus—the more of the surroundings he got in the picture, the easier it would be to find this tunnel again—he snapped a shot. Then he showed it to Janken. "How's that?"

"Yeah, that's great!"

Skeeter felt a gust of wind and heard something in another tunnel. Careful not to touch the cave wall, she looked around—and came face-to-face with a brown Fraggle. It startled and yelped, then fled down the cave.

Janken recognized that yelp, and ran after it. "Great-Uncle Matt!"

The brown Fraggle, who was wearing an off-white jacket and pants, stopped and looked back. He stared incredulously at Scooter and Skeeter for a moment, deciding whether to continue to be afraid, then made up his mind, sauntered over, and said, "Welcome home, Great-Nephew Janken. I hope you enjoyed my little joke."

"Sure I did," Janken replied, grinning.

Another Fraggle, one whose skin was nearly the same color as Scooter and Skeeter's, came running in. "Uncle Matt! I heard—_huh?"_ He stopped when he saw the others.

Janken, savoring Gobo's startled expression, stepped past Matt and said, "Hi, Papa Gobo. These are my friends Scooter and Skeeter."

Gobo said, "Scooter? Oh, Janken's told me about you. Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"We didn't know either. We were camping in the woods, and found a tunnel, and here we are." Janken said cheerfully.

"Well, c'mon, let's surprise the others!" Gobo said.

Janken turned to Scooter and Skeeter. "What do you say?"

"Sure," Scooter said, and Skeeter nodded.

"Great! But, um, there's a few things," Janken said, suddenly serious.

"Like what?" Skeeter said.

"Well, we don't have any technology to speak of down here. I don't want to bring any in. It'd confuse people. So, would you keep your phones and flashlights and anything else in your backpacks?"

Scooter said, "Sure, if it's that important to you, but would a cell phone really be dangerous?"

Skeeter said to Scooter, "Ever hear of cargo cults?"

"What?"

"I'll tell you later. Bottom line, he's right. Anyway, when in Rome."

"Okay," Scooter said, and put his phone into his backpack. "My watch too?"

Janken thought for a moment, then said, "Nah, actually that ought to be all right. We know about clocks, we just don't pay attention to 'em."

"Still, when in Rome," Scooter said, and put his watch into his backpack.

"Thanks, guys," Janken said. He hadn't wanted to explain what had happened when Gobo had brought a radio into Fraggle Rock. It was embarrassing to admit that they had believed that commercials were the voices of magical Wish-Granting Creatures who wanted them to abandon Fraggle Rock. But maybe something similar had happened among Silly Creatures too. "Tell me about the cargo cults too."

"Sure thing."

Janken started to turn toward Gobo, then added, "Oh! One more thing. And this is even more important."

"Yeah?"

Very seriously Janken said, "Do you have your bathing suits? Because in Fraggle Rock you _will_ get wet."

Scooter and Skeeter glanced at each other, then grinned identical grins. "We're way ahead of you," Scooter said.

Janken laughed. "Great! Then c'mon!"

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. Traveling Matt and Gobo Fraggle are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken Fraggle and the overall story is copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	5. 5: Wacky Wall Walkers

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 5: Wacky Wall Walkers**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

Gobo Fraggle led Janken, Scooter, and Skeeter through a series of twisty little tunnels. Skeeter noticed a sign of habitation before Scooter did: the cave floor became smooth, worn down by generations of Fraggle feet. As the passage widened, they heard voices in some of the tunnels branching off on either side. There seemed to be some sort of mild commotion not too far away.

Gobo pushed aside a curtain blocking a door-sized opening and stuck his head in. "Guess what followed Uncle Matt and me back from outer space?" Without waiting for an answer he looked back and beckoned to the rest of the group.

They walked into a well-lit room. One wall was covered with things hanging from pegs: pans and other cooking utensils, dried herbs, racks of small bottles, and other such items. Another side of the room was crisscrossed with strings from which wet clothes were hanging. A small, pudgy, moss-colored Fraggle wearing a white coat and a cap over his eyes said worriedly to Gobo, "It's not some sort of rampaging, disease-bearing beast again, is it?" He glanced over as Janken entered. "Hi, Janken. Janken? What're you doing-" Then he stopped and stared at Scooter and Skeeter.

"We found a new Fraggle hole, and these are my friends, Scooter and Skeeter," Janken said, unperturbed.

_"Janjanjan!"_

A ball of green tackled Janken. Taken by surprise, he was knocked backwards to the ground. He gasped, "Medic!"

Sage, the older of Janken's two little sisters, got off him and helped him up again, jabbering, "Jan! You came back! I didn't know! When did you come back?" When he was on his feet she hugged him hard.

He hugged back, noting that even though she still had more growing to do, she was now as tall as her father, Boober. He said, "Go easy on the tackles, sis. You're getting big."

"Sorry." She looked around, caught sight of his companions, and said in amazement, "Are those _Silly Creatures?"_

"Sort of." He let her go and said, "As I was saying. Guys, these are my friends, Scooter and Skeeter." To the twins he said, "This is another part of my family. Papa Boober's in the white coat and the one who just clobbered me is my li'l sis Sage."

Sage said to Scooter and Skeeter, "You're from outer space? I thought you were supposed to be bigger, like Doc!"

Scooter smiled. "We come in all sizes."

She started forward. Urgently Boober said, "Sage!"

She looked back. "What?"

"You don't know where they've been!" To Scooter and Skeeter he said, "No offense."

Janken shot them an embarrassed smile, then said, "Boober, I know where they've been. With me. Sage won't catch anything from them that she hasn't already exposed herself to by hugging me."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Boober sighed—it was hard to give up long-held beliefs, chief among them the germ saturation of anyplace that wasn't Fraggle Rock—then said, "Sorry. Welcome to Fraggle Rock. I'm sorry I can't stay to talk, but they're having a Fraggleathelon, and I'm the medic."

"I'm assisting," Sage interjected.

"If we don't hurry they'll start without us, and who knows what mayhem they'll do to themselves," Boober said, picking up a bag of cloth strung around a frame of bent wood rods. Sage picked up a similar bag and followed him.

Janken said, "C'mon, guys, let's go watch!"

Most of the party followed Boober and Sage out the door. Scooter stopped Janken and asked in a low voice, "Uh, Jan, how much do they know about us?"

Surprised, Janken said, "They know about you and me, if that's what you're asking. I wouldn't keep something like that from my own family."

"Um."

Janken put an arm around Scooter's shoulders. "I've told you before, it's no big deal down here. I have three Papas, remember? Don't worry about it, I promise they'll like you."

* * *

It was only a few steps to The Great Hall, a huge cavern seething with Fraggles. They sat on arches, boulders, nameless rock formations, and anywhere else they could keep their balance. However, none were perched on the flowstone shelves along the walls, which looked like the best seats in the house. Looking around, Skeeter wondered what event they could possibly hold here. Even the pond was full of Fraggles. There wasn't any room for a Fraggleathelon, whatever that was.

Janken scanned the crowd, and found Wembley and Mokey close to the other side of the wall. He couldn't see their faces, but he recognized their hair. Red wasn't with them, but that was no surprise. If there was an athletic event of any kind, she wouldn't be watching. She'd be competing. He decided against trying to push through the crowd to get to them now, and found a place where he, Scooter, and Skeeter could stand and watch.

The chatter quieted when a green Fraggle called out from a raised platform at the end of the Great Hall, "Hear ye, hear ye! The World's Oldest Fraggle will now start the Fraggleathelon!"

A bespectacled gray Fraggle with a long white beard held up a staff and shouted, "On your marks!"

"Wait, Your Agedness. We haven't said the rules yet."

"I know that! Why didn't you say that before?" He bopped the green Fraggle on the head with his staff. "Get on with it!"

"Sorry, Your Impatience," the green Fraggle said. "This part of the Fraggleathelon is the wall race. Each contestant must race along the walls of the Great Hall from one end to the other without touching the ground."

"Is that it?" The World's Oldest Fraggle asked.

"Yes, that's all the rules."

"Are we ready to begin?" the old Fraggle inquired in a soft voice.

"Yes, Your Seniority." The green Fraggle said, sounding nervous.

The World's Oldest Fraggle cried, "Then on your marks! Get set! GO!"

The contestants had not been in place; the World's Oldest Fraggle's dialogues with Henchy could go on for a while, and they didn't want to waste their strength by hanging on the wall while they squabbled. Now they leapt onto the wall and started across. The assembled Fraggles began urging their favorites on, or cheering for more than one, or just cheering in general.

Two Fraggles were climbing across each wall. Scooter was sure that the one with pigtails like orange pompoms had to be Janken's aunt Red. Following her was a small brown Fraggle with blond hair. On the other side was a mint-colored Fraggle and a pink one.

The cave walls were opposite each other, so one could only watch one wall or the other. Most of the Fraggles were watching Red. She was the one to beat in this race. She always was.

Red climbed higher. Gobo watched, interested. She was taking a shorter route, but one that was tougher. The rock was much smoother there, fewer shelves and cracks for fingers and toes to grip. It would be just like Red to take that route to show off, then fall. It would also be just like her to actually make it across.

Boober watched Red anxiously. As high as she was climbing, if she fell she would be likely to break a bone. He was ready, with sticks and cloth for splints, threadroot for pain, and lots of bandages.

Scooter wondered about the uneven competition. Red was making good time. So were the pink and green Fraggles. The small brown Fraggle, however, was lagging behind, slowly inching along narrow flowstone shelves, only a few feet from the floor. He could see Boober hovering under the brown Fraggle, ready to catch it if it fell.

Then there was a cry from the crowd on the opposite side. The pink Fraggle had fallen. Sage rushed through the crowd, pushing Fraggles out of the way. She knelt by the pink Fraggle and examined him. He hadn't fallen far, but he had landed on one arm. She checked that arm, found it painful but not swollen, and splinted it for Boober to look at after the race. Then she cleaned a few scrapes from the fall.

Skeeter said, "If Red fell she'd kill herself!"

Though she had spoken to herself, Janken replied, "Nah. We Fraggles are pretty tough, and we know how to take a fall. It'd hurt, but Boober won't tolerate anyone dying while he's on the job."

Red stopped and was looking around as if seeking the next crack or ledge. The wall ahead of her was smooth. Matt commented, "Red appears to have gotten herself stuck."

"Maybe," Gobo replied.

She dithered while the brown and pink Fraggles kept going. The green one was about as far from the goal as she was. She looked back, then tensed and sprang sideways. There was a gasp from the crowd—and a little scream from Boober—and then she caught herself, scrambling a little, just beyond the smooth patch.

Janken sucked in his breath. Had she rehearsed that? He sure hoped so. She must have; as many times as she had climbed this cave, she had to know every inch of it.

The hardest part out of the way, Red made her way to the far wall and jumped onto the plateau that served as the finish line. She raised her hands and declared, "Red Fraggle does it again! Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Then she jumped down, ran over to the wall she had just crossed, and began cheering for the brown Fraggle. "Attagirl, Poncle! You're getting there! You can do it!"

The green Fraggle made it to the finish line, and was cheered by her supporters. Now that Red was spotting Poncle, Boober went over to where Sage was sitting with Rumple. "How is he?" Boober asked her.

She reported, "His arms and legs got scraped a little, and his arm is hurt. I'm not sure how bad."

Boober unwrapped the splinted limb. "How does this feel?"

Rumple winced when Boober flexed his arm at the elbow and pressed on it, but there was no sharp pain. And he saw only a tiny bit of swelling. He said, "It looks like you've bruised your arm, but it might be sprained too. I'm putting it in a sling. Be careful with it, and I'll look at it again this evening. If it begins to hurt worse or swell up come to me _immediately."_

On the other side, Poncle finally reached the finishing point, cheered by the crowd. Red immediately swept her up onto her shoulders. "Let's hear it for Poncle, the youngest Fraggle ever to finish the wall race!" The other Fraggles shouted, and Gobo, Matt, Wembley, Mokey, and Sage all made their way over to congratulate the excited little Fraggle.

Janken was pleased that nobody else had noticed his approach. He stepped into the group and said, "Way to go, Poncle! You'll be beating Red in no time."

"Yeah!" Poncle shouted.

Startled, Wembley asked, _"Jan?_ Where'd you come from?" right before hugging him.

"Don't you know, Papa? I thought Mama told you about that," he said. He hugged those of his parents he hadn't already paid respects to and rumpled Poncle's hair, earning a giggly squawk, then said, "I met Gobo and Matt at a new Fraggle Hole. And I brought a few friends with me. These are Scooter and his sister Skeeter. Guys, these are Red, Poncle, Wembley, and Mokey."

Surprised, Wembley said, "Wow, hi! I thought I'd have to go into Outer Space to meet you."

Mokey said, "I feel as if we've known each other for years, Janken has told us so much about you." She took Scooter's hands and said "You've made Janken so happy, I just know we'll be good friends!"

Janken told Scooter, "See, I told you."

Poncle, who had been staring at Scooter and Skeeter, said, "You're so _skinny!"_

Janken shot them a sheepish grin, then said, "They're not skinny. They just don't have fur."

"Why not?"

"They aren't Fraggles. Their kind of people don't have fur or tails," he explained.

"No tail?" Poncle exclaimed, boggled.

"Not a one."

"Oh." She looked at them in pity for a moment, then said, "Look what I can do with my tail!" She wrapped hers around Red's upper arm and fell backwards off her shoulders. She ended up swinging under Red's outstretched arm. She spread her hands and said "Ta-daah!"

Red, chuckling, said, "That's great, kiddo, but turn loose or my arm's gonna fall off."

Poncle released Red's arm and landed on her hands, then rolled and popped up on her feet. "Ta-daah!" she repeated.

Skeeter applauded the little Fraggle, who joined in to clap for herself. Skeeter said to Red, "That was pretty good. I've done some rock climbing myself, but never on anything like that." She gestured at the cave wall.

"Really?" Red asked, interested. "What'd you climb?"

"Mountains and cliffs. They're a lot rougher. Smooth cave walls like this, I don't see how you don't slide off."

"It takes a lotta practice and skill," Red said. "I've been doing it all my life."

"Think you could give me some pointers?"

"Sure!"

Janken murmured to Scooter, "Is she putting Red on?"

Scooter replied, "I don't think so. She only yanks your chain if she knows you."

"In that case, they ought to get along like a house on fire."

"Panic, sirens, wanton destruction..."

Gobo, having finally navigated a hall full of Fraggles in motion, said, "Not bad, Red."

"Gee whiz, thanks," Red replied.

"Did you see me?" Poncle asked eagerly.

"I sure did. You were great!"

"Yeah!"

Back to Red, Gobo said, "Really, I was impressed. I didn't think you'd make it that fast-"

"Hah! You know your old record couldn't stand forever!"

"-without someone to set the pace for ya."

Startled, Red stared at him for a moment. "You think _you_ could set the pace for _me?_ Is that why you _arranged_ to be 'exploring' today, huh?"

"Oh, no, that was just a coincidence," Gobo said with an infuriatingly insincere smile.

"Well, explore _this!"_ She grabbed Gobo, swung him around, and launched him into the pond in the center of the cave.

Janken remarked to Scooter, "Bet you saw that coming."

"Actually, no, but I'm not surprised either."

Red leapt in after Gobo. The two began a splash fight that was ninety percent splash and ten percent fight. Poncle leapt in after them and joined in, and soon other Fraggles entered the fray. Soon everyone in the vicinity of the pond was wet from friendly fire. Scooter told Janken, "Go on. You know you want to."

In half a second Janken had shed his denim jacket and leapt into the water. Skeeter said to Scooter, "What about you? You've got your suit on under your jeans, so you said."

"No thanks," Scooter replied. "It looks kinda crowded in there."

"In that case, here." Skeeter handed him her glasses, then kicked off her boots and, clothes and all, jumped into the pond.

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, and Poncle are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Sage, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	6. 6: Thwack

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 6: Thwack  
**by Kim McFarland

* * *

"And _this_ is my tug-o-tails trophy!"

Skeeter, her clothes dripping wet from her recent dip in the pond, looked at the trophy that Red was so proud of. When she had first seen it she hadn't been able to figure out what the two entwined curves were supposed to be. However, she hadn't remained in the dark for long. Red had wasted no time before showing off her favorite possessions. To Skeeter's eye Red didn't look particularly athletic. She was basically a ball of fur with arms, legs, googly eyes, and hair like a cheerleader's pompoms. After seeing her "pump granite," even lifting weights with her tail, however, Skeeter revised her opinion.

Red said, "Wanna give it a try?" indicating the weights.

Skeeter looked at the two barbells. She was sure she could manage the smaller one without any problem, but that was the one that Red lifted with her _tail_. So, despite her misgivings, she tried the large barbell.

Red leaned against the wall and watched as Skeeter grasped the bar, worked her hands to get a comfortable grip, set her feet, and tried to lift. The Silly Creature's technique was good; she was pushing up with her legs rather than bending forward and trying to straighten up, which was a good way to hurt your back. There was a stone-on-stone scraping noise as the barbell moved a little.

Skeeter let go. She could strain all day, but she'd never be able to lift it more than an inch, and she would only embarrass herself trying. "That's too heavy for me," she admitted.

"Don't worry about it. Nobody else can lift it like I can, not even Gobo."

"This is more my speed," Skeeter said, picking up the smaller barbell. It, too, was heavier than she expected. And Red lifted this with her _tail?_ Where did she put the muscle to do that? Skeeter raised it over her head, then set it down again. "Remind me never to arm-wrestle you."

Red grinned, pleased at the recognition of her skills. Poncle, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the past three and a half minutes, declared, "I can lift it!" She grabbed the smaller barbell with both hands and strained as hard as she could.

Red chuckled and, taking the barbell by the weights, picked it up. "With a little help."

"See?" Poncle said proudly.

"Wow," Skeeter said, amused.

The Fraggles put the barbell down again. Then Poncle said "Thwack me!"

"All right, get in."

The little Fraggle scrambled up into Red's low-slung hammock and sat facing a hole in the wall. Red pulled the hammock far back, then released it, slingshotting Poncle out of the room. Skeeter, alarmed, rushed to the window just in time to see Poncle splash into the pond in the Great Hall.

"Wanna go next?" Red offered.

Poncle surfaced, none the worse for wear. Whew. Skeeter said, "No thanks. Maybe later."

"Okay," Red said with a shrug. "Say, you said you do rock climbing. Tomorrow's Fraggleathelon event will be scaling Schist Cliff. Winner gets the rock-climbing trophy. I was planning to win it back from Gobo, since he's not competing this time. Wanna give it a try too?"

"You sure I can? I'm not a Fraggle."

Skeeter meant it as a joke, but Red replied in a serious tone, "Sure. Our games used to be Fraggles only, but that was before we really thought about inviting anyone else. It just never occurred to us. These days contests and events are open to anyone who wants to join in. Well, if they're able. A Doozer can sing, but they're no good at rock climbing. Too stubby. Still, if one actually wanted to try nobody'd say no."

"Well... I doubt I have much of a chance against you, but sure, I'll give it a try. What supplies or things do I need?"

"Nothing," Red assured her. "It's nice and rough, lots of handholds. And there's a pond at its base, so if you fall you'll just get wet."

"Oh? Cool. And speaking of which... do you have a towel?" Skeeter asked.

"A what?"

"A towel. Something to dry off with? My clothes are all wet, and I'm getting cold."

Wet clothes were a problem for Silly Creatures? Boy, Red thought, she was glad to be a Fraggle. "Is that like a clothesline?"

Fraggles didn't know what towels were? Oh brother. She might have anticipated that, knowing how Janken never minded walking around soaking wet, but she hadn't. She said, "Um, in that case, is there someplace I can change?"

"Change what?"

Oh boy. "My clothes. I have something dry in my backpack."

"Oh. Sure, you can change right here."

"Er... would you mind turning around? I'd rather you didn't look. We 'silly creatures' are funny that way."

"Okay, if you say so," Red said, and turned toward the window. She thought it was dumb to worry about someone seeing you change, but decided it was easiest to humor her.

Quickly Skeeter stripped off her wet clothes and started getting into her one-piece bathing suit. Scooter had worn his under his pants; now she wished that she'd had that much foresight. She had almost gotten the suit on when Mokey appeared in the cave entrance. Skeeter yeeped and covered herself. Mokey paused, mildly surprised to see Red's guest, then continued to her side of the room. Hastily pulling the upper part of the suit into place, Skeeter said, "Sorry! I was getting cold in those wet clothes, and I had to change. I didn't think anyone would see."

"Who're you talking to?" Red asked.

"Me," Mokey answered. To Skeeter she said," No wonder you're cold, with no fur to keep you warm. Here, wear this until your clothes dry out." She took off her robelike sweater and offered it to Skeeter.

"Wow, thanks," Skeeter said. She put it on. It was soft and warm and not as heavy as it looked. "I really appreciate it."

"What're friends for?" Mokey said.

Red said, "You want my advice, take your clothes to Boober. Ask him to wash 'em."

"They're not really dirty, just wet."

"Yeah, but Boober loves doing laundry. He's never seen clothes like yours. They'll make his day."

* * *

Janken led Scooter through the Great Hall, saying, "There's one Fraggle I really want you to meet. The Storyteller. She doesn't come up here often, so we'll go to her place."

"What's her name?" Scooter asked.

"Y'know, I don't know if she has one. Everyone just calls her The Storyteller. She's been almost an aunt to me—more like a great-aunt, actually, because she's crackers over Great-Uncle Matt—and her stories... well, they tell a lot about us, and they're fun to listen to."

As they crossed the Great Hall Sage called from the pond, "Jan! Come swim with me."

"Sorry, not right now. We're gonna go see The Storyteller."

"Wait." She swam to the side and pulled herself out of the water. Dripping wet, she said, "Pick me up and throw me in."

Janken smiled wistfully. "Sorry, Sage, but you're getting too big for me to lift. I'm not Red."

"I'm not that big! C'mon!"

"I'll try later, okay, sis?"

She looked at him for a moment, then turned her back on them both and jumped into the water.

Janken led Scooter through the caves. He didn't take the direct path; there were some interesting sights to see in this area, starting with the Spiral Cavern. As they walked down the helical passage Janken watched Scooter for any sign of the claustrophobia that surface dwellers were prone to. Thus far he was doing all right. Wary, but in an unfamiliar cave who wouldn't be?

After passing through the Spiral Caverns, the Squeaky Cavern, and Wax Falls—so named for the flowstone patterns that resembled giant, multicolored, dribbly candles—they arrived at a cave that was incongruously disguised as a house front, complete with door. It was the only door Scooter had seen in these caves; even Boober only had a curtain at the entrance to his cave. Janken pressed on a star shape. A chime sounded.

Moments later an older female Fraggle opened the door enough to look out. Surprised, she lifted her glasses and peered at Janken and Scooter, then said, "Well, I didn't expect _this!_ Welcome back, Janken! Have you brought your friend to me for a story?"

Janken said, "I brought Scooter here to meet you, Storyteller. But if you want to tell us a story, we'd like to hear it."

"Always the sweet-talker," she said, and opened the door all the way. "Come in, come in."

They went in. The area just beyond the door was a chamber with lots of throw cushions on the floor and a stool on one side. Janken sat on a cushion and patted the one next to himself. Scooter sat by him, and The Storyteller perched on the stool. She said, "Why don't one of you tell me a story?"

Scooter and Janken glanced at each other. Janken said, "I'll start."

* * *

They spent the afternoon exchanging stories. Janken recounted events—some funny, some more serious—that had happened among the Muppets, and told one shaggy-dog story that The Storyteller didn't recognize as a joke until the punchline. She told them about some of the events that had happened in Fraggle Rock, and some that were either historical events or folklore. Scooter was impressed; every tale she told sounded like an epic, and she wove songs into the stories—or perhaps wove stories into songs—in a way that drew the listener in. Janken had told him how all Fraggles but him had the talent to improvise songs. He wasn't kidding. At both Janken's and The Storyteller's encouragement he told them about some of the things that had happened to him and the other Muppets over the years. They weren't much as stories, but The Storyteller seemed very interested.

When they left hours later, promising to return before they left for the surface, they both had slightly sore throats. Janken led them back to the main colony by a different route, one which included small, moss-bordered pool. Janken told Scooter, "Here, drink this."

The water was colored pink. "Er, are you sure?"

"You think I don't know what's good to drink? This is sweetwater. Taste it." Janken knelt and bent far enough forward to slurp directly from the pond's surface.

It still didn't look like natural, clean water to Scooter, but he trusted Janken. He knelt and scooped some of the water up in his hands, then sipped that. It did taste good.

Janken watched, amused, as Scooter drank several double handfuls of the water. It seemed silly to raise the water in your hands rather than simply drinking right from the pond, but it was harmless and it worked for Scooter, so who was he to criticize it? He said, "What do you think of The Storyteller?"

"I like her. She can really tell a story. I don't know if what I told her was what she was looking for, though."

Janken explained, "For us, stories aren't just stories. They're history, events, parables, myths...they're culture. She's one of the keepers of our culture, really. She wants to know about the outside world. Not about the things you find out there, but about what people are like. I've brought her a few things, like a book of Aesop's Fables."

"That sounds better than bringing her a newspaper," Scooter remarked, then drank another double handful of sweetwater.

"I'd never do that to her. I _like_ her," Janken replied in mock horror, then said in a more serious tone, "And, of course, I've told her about you, and I knew she'd want to meet you. And, to answer the next question, yes, she knows."

Scooter said, "Actually, I wasn't thinking about that."

"You _weren't?"_

"Nope. It slipped my mind. Heh."

Janken put an arm around Scooter's waist. "You're gettin' it! Now lemme show you something really great. You haven't seen Fraggle Rock until you've seen Belching Boulder."

* * *

Sage was half-in, half-out of the pond, resting her chin on her hands on the mossy boulders while her legs kicked slowly to keep her in place. She had been here so long that her hair and the fur on her back had dried. She heard Scooter and Janken's voices, and turned toward them.

They crossed the Great Hall, laughing about something or other, without noticing her. She had waited all this time, and they just walked by and didn't even look at her! Her fingers tightened angrily in the moss.

There was a boing and a yelp, then a big splash. A moment later Skeeter surfaced, sputtering.

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, and Poncle are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Sage, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	7. 7: Nightfall

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 7: Nightfall**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

It was getting late. Fraggles didn't bother with clocks; for them evening came when the Ditzies' light began to dim. When the caves got dark, Fraggles naturally wound down for the day.

It had been a long day for Scooter and Skeeter. They had made an unplanned trip into Fraggle Rock and spent the day among Fraggles. Janken had been showing Scooter around, and Red and Skeeter had gravitated to each other. Red had even gotten Skeeter to try a hammock-thwack. Now, their energy spent, everyone in the rock was getting ready to bed down for the night. Many were simply lying down in their pajamas and sleepshirts in the Great Hall. Skeeter wondered if they were homeless, then chided herself. Maybe not all Fraggles needed their own caves. After all, as Carlin said, a home was a container for your stuff, and Fraggles didn't accumulate possessions.

They ended up at Boober's cave. He and Sage were already in their sleepwear. Janken pushed aside the curtain and said, "Papa Boober, can we borrow some pajamas? We didn't pack for an overnight trip."

Boober had been expecting that. "Yes. There are spares in my hidey-hole. If you all want to sleep there, you can."

"Thanks!" Janken said. He'd planned to make that request, and then to overcome Boober's uneasiness with gentle persuasion. Boober must have mellowed more than Janken realized while he had been living in the surface world.

Sage said, "I have your pajamas, Jan. I washed them for you today." She offered him a bundle of neatly-folded, cream-colored cloth.

He took it and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Thanks, sis."

"Stay with me tonight," she said.

He smiled. "Sorry, Sage, but I'm playing Native Guide now. My friends aren't used to being underground, and I can't go off and leave them."

"But you always stay with me," she protested.

"Next time, okay?" he told her gently.

She looked away. "Yeah."

He kissed the top of her head—she did not respond—and then said to Scooter and Skeeter, who were waiting on the other side of the curtain, "Come with me."

Scooter and Skeeter both crossed the cave, thanking Boober along the way, to what looked like a cranny in the back. After one twist, it opened into a large room. The air was fresh and pleasant smelling. There were shelflike rock benches along most of the walls. They were stacked with bundles of cloth. A net stretched within a bamboo frame hung at the back to dry herbs.

Janken picked up a bale of cloth and moved it off a shelf. He told them, "Boober keeps his home remedies—medicines—and spare stuff here. Like these old clothes. If the fabric's any good he'll save them to sew into patchwork blankets when he runs out of laundry to do."

* * *

Sage got into her bed and pulled the covers over her head. Boober paused, looking at her. Her tail was lashing under the covers.

He sat on the side of her bed and said, "Sage."

After a pause, she said, "What?" Her voice was muffled by the blanket.

"You're upset."

She pulled the cover back a little, revealing her eyes. "Yeah," she admitted.

"With Janken?"

She looked away. "Yeah."

He stroked her hair. Usually when Janken came back he spent a lot of time with her. She must be feeling left out. He said, "Want to talk about it?"

"Why'd he have to bring those Silly Creatures here?" she griped. "Now he just wants to be with them. That's not fair. He has them all the time when he's in outer space!"

He continued stroking her hair as he thought. It was a simple problem, easily enough solved if she just dealt with it head-on, he thought. He said, "Tomorrow, tell him you miss him."

She looked away. That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

He said, "If you're lonely, I'm always here."

Halfheartedly she said, "Yeah, Papa."

He kissed her cheek, then got up and went to his own bed. It wasn't likely that she'd come to him tonight, he knew. She was old enough to assert her independence, and when a Fraggle got to that stage, it was time to let her cope with her problems in her own way. He missed the days when he could hold her, eat cookies with her, until she felt better again.

* * *

After Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken cleared enough space they made typical Fraggle beds: thick cushiony blankets on top of the rock, another blanket over that as a bedspread, and a pillow. To Skeeter they looked like futons, although she'd never seen a futon made out of shirts and socks.

Scooter and Janken only had one bed. Rather, Janken had made one big enough for them both using overlapping blankets. If Scooter vetoed the arrangement he'd separate it into two. Scooter didn't say anything about it, though. He remarked, "I didn't think a cave could be so, well, _clean."_

Skeeter was mildly surprised by the observation. The cave contained a lot of stuff, but now that she looked at it, it was remarkably clean, as if the rock itself had been washed.

Janken said, "This probably is the cleanest place in the Rock. But that's not surprising when you think about it. This is Boober's storeroom, after all, and Boober likes everything tidy." He did not tell them that this was also the hospital. That was another reason Boober kept it nice and clean, to keep germs away from sick or injured Fraggles, but it might spook them. "Sometimes other people stay here too, hence the blankets and pillows and things."

Scooter thought, the guest room was part of Boober's quarters? Janken had always described Boober as a loner, preferring the company of his close family and his washtubs to that of other Fraggles. But Boober was in the next room, so this wasn't the best time to ask.

Janken looked through the available pajamas. They were all clean and fresh, of course, if not new. Skeeter would fit into an average-sized Fraggle's clothes; her shape wasn't different enough in ways that would matter. Scooter too, except he had more in the way of shoulders than Fraggles did, so Janken found a pair of pajamas with a top that wrapped around. He handed these to the twins. "These have tail holes. Sorry."

"I'll cope," Skeeter said. "Turn away a moment, okay?"

"Sure. I'll change too," Scooter replied.

Skeeter went to the back of the cave—she had learned her lesson about changing near a cave entrance—and quickly took off her outerwear and got into the pajamas. They had the same nice smell as Mokey's robe did. She said, "I'm done."

"Just a bit," Scooter replied. He was buttoning the top. If he hadn't seen Wembley's shirt, with its two buttons side-by-side rather than vertical, he would have been puzzled. With this, he just found what was most comfortable and buttoned it that way. "Okay."

Janken was amused by the ritual. Silly Creatures were so modest. But then, as Scooter had pointed out, they didn't have fur coats like Fraggles did. But they were shy about the things they did, too. Sooner or later he and Scooter would have to face that issue. He hoped, anyway.

By now it was getting hard to see. Janken yawned. "I'm gonna turn in. Stay up and talk if you want."

"Nah, I'm ready to sack out too," Skeeter said.

They all started getting into the futonlike beds. After a long pause Skeeter looked over and said, "Um, one thing. I don't care what you two do—you're consenting adults and all—but if you're going to get frisky, warn me so I can take a walk, okay?"

That startled Scooter and Janken. It was dark enough now that she couldn't see their expressions clearly. Embarrassed, she said, "Um, I just don't need to be a witness, that's all I mean."

Janken laughed. "Skeeter, when it gets dark, Fraggles _sleep_. We frisk when we're alert and have the energy to do it right."

Scooter said, "Believe it, Skeeter. Once the lights go out, he's gone."

"That's not very flattering."

"Well, he makes it up to me..."

Janken yawned again, then said, "Among Fraggles sleeping together just means being together when you sleep, just like eating together means being together when you eat. People sleep together all the time just because it's friendly and, in winter, because it's warm." When he came back to Fraggle Rock Sage always claimed him as her teddy bear. It felt a little odd to be with Scooter while he was here, even though they were comfortable with each other. "Good night."

"G'night," Skeeter replied.

"Night," Scooter concurred.

The light was gone. Skeeter heard a little affectionate rustling from the other bed, but only for a minute or so, as they settled in. Then it was quiet again. After a few minutes Skeeter fell asleep too.

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken and Sage are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken and Sage Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	8. 8: Love and War

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 8: Love and War  
**by Kim McFarland

* * *

When Boober woke up the next morning, he found Sage asleep next to him. She had come to him for comfort after all, but hadn't awakened him. It would have been fine if she had but, he guessed, she had been a little too proud.

He got out of bed without disturbing her. There was some water in a jug and a cup full of small, green twigs. He peeled the bark off one of the twigs, chewed the end to separate its fibers, and used that to brush his teeth. He rinsed his mouth, then changed from his pajamas and nightcap to his scarf and day cap.

To that he added his apron. He regularly started breakfast as soon as he awoke; it was an enjoyable way to begin the day. He went into the kitchen and checked the stove. The fire beneath was almost all ash, but by the heat he could tell there were still live coals at the bottom. He scraped out the ash, added some dry wood, and blew the fire back to life. Then he closed the oven door and went to the pantry. Looking at the shelves, he thought, _Decisions, decisions..._

He had gotten down some eggs when Sage, still in her nightshirt, came in. "I'll help."

Boober said, "I'm going to cook an omelet. What else should we make?"

"Blueberry quickbread," Sage replied.

"All right." He could have guessed she'd suggest that. It was Janken's favorite, and quickbread was popular enough that he mixed the dry ingredients in big batches so he'd always have some on hand. He took down the jar and gave it to her. She carried it into the kitchen. He brought the honey jar and some blueberries.

She said, "Can I make the omelet?"

"All right."

"Thanks." She put Boober's omelet pan and the honey jar on the side of the slate griddle.

While the slate was heating up Sage and Boober mixed a batch of quickbread batter, sliced mushrooms and vegetables and spices for the omelet, and cut up fruit. When water skipped and sizzled along the cooking surface Boober greased it with butter and began frying hand-sized dollops of batter. They quickly puffed up into thick, lightly browned cakes, which Boober scooped off the slate and into a cloth-lined, lidded clay bowl to keep warm. He told Sage, "I was thinking of cooking up a special dinner tonight. Want to help?"

"Yeah! What're you gonna make?"

"I haven't decided. Do you have any suggestions?"

As Boober cooked they discussed the meal, and decided on tender baked radish, with ratatouille on the side and a light soup as a beginner. For dessert, fruit in cream.

As soon as they had decided this and Boober was cooking the last of the cakes Mokey, Red, and Poncle came in. Red said, "I hope you're making plenty. I'm gonna need lots of energy for the cliff climb today!"

Feigning offense, Boober replied, "Have I _ever_ sent you away hungry, Red?"

"Never. Or dirty, either," she said, patting his hat. It slipped down and blocked his eyes; he pushed it back far enough to let him see under the brim.

"Speaking of which, you wore that shirt in the wall race yesterday. It needs a wash."

"It's not that bad. I've got the cliff climb today. I'll wear it to that, so when I give it to you it'll be really good and dirty!"

"Red, that shirt needs cleaning _now."_

She knew when to stand firm and when to surrender, and it was always best to let Boober have his way in matters of laundry. "Okay, fine, after breakfast."

"Thank you." He put the last of the quickbread cakes into the bowl and set it on the table, then told Sage, "Your turn."

Sage put the omelet pan on the center of the slate to heat up a little more and greased it liberally with butter. Then she poured a third of the egg mix into it and watched as it cooked. This recipe was a little tricky, so she had to pay attention.

Wembley and Gobo came in. "Hi, guys. What's cookin'?" Wembley asked.

As the others chatted Sage slid the spatula under one edge of the omelet, which was almost but not quite cooked through, and using a wooden spoon rolled it back on itself. When she had rolled it tightly to one end of the pan she poured in more egg mix. That cooked almost all the way through. When only a bit on the top was still soft she turned the roll from one end of the pan to the other, making a larger log. So far, so good. She poured the rest of the egg mix.

When Sage was almost done Janken, Scooter, and Skeeter emerged from Boober's hidey-hole. Janken said, "That smells great."

"Thank you," Sage and Boober said together. Sage smiled; this wasn't the first time that had happened. She was Boober's apprentice, and he encouraged her to take pride in what she did. She said, "We're making blueberry quickbread and rolled omelet."

"So I smell," he replied. "I've missed both your cooking."

She grinned happily at him. Red said, "Is that ready? Then serve it up!"

Wembley brought ten plates from the pantry. There wasn't enough room at the table, but that never stopped them from eating together before. Boober uncovered the bowl of quickbread cakes, and Sage put the omelet—neatly sliced into ten segments—beside it. A plate of cut-up fruit and a bowl of warm honey were already on the table. The Fraggles got plates. Janken handed plates to the twins, saying, "Just jump in. Meals here are about as formal as anything else in the Rock."

Meaning not at all, of course. "All right." Scooter acquired one of the cakes, some fruit, and a piece of omelet. Skeeter did the same. When he bit into the cake he thought it was pleasant, but a little bland. Janken nudged him with an elbow and said, "Try it with honey."

"Oh, I missed that." The other Fraggles were just dipping the cakes into the honey bowl. He dipped a side he hadn't bitten into, then tried that. It was surprisingly good. "Yeah!"

Skeeter said, "Neat. I've never had an omelet like this. What's it called?"

"It's a rolled omelet," she replied, pleased.

"Well, it's good. I've had omelets before, but not one that tastes like this." Skeeter told her.

"Thanks! I used mushrooms and radish greens and slivered radish and wild onions."

Red said to Gobo, "I hope you're ready to lose that rock climbing trophy today."

"I hadn't really thought about it," he told her.

"The heck you haven't. You've had it for two years in a row. You flaked out on the Fraggleathelon this year because you knew I'd clobber you in front of everyone."

"No, I just decided I'd rather explore with Uncle Matt," Gobo said in an annoyingly reasonable tone of voice. To further the insult, he added, "It's not like it's all that important. It's just a trophy, after all."

"You can say that when you deliver it to me after I win!"

Janken said, "Skeeter's going to enter the rock climb today. What if _she_ wins?"

"A Silly Creature as champion climber?" Wembley said, interested. "That'd be neat."

Skeeter said, "Isn't the trophy for the whole Fraggleathelon? I wasn't in the wall race."

"The trophy Red wants is just for rock climbing," Gobo told her.

Poncle piped up, "Mama will win!"

Red said, "Yeah, probably." To Skeeter she said, "You're not gonna back out now, are ya?"

"Shoot, no. But what if I win the trophy?"

"Then you come back next year and give someone else a chance," Janken told her. "Red and Gobo have been passing that trophy back and forth for years."

Skeeter was doubtful of her chances; this was the Fraggles' home turf, and she was willing to bet Red was a lot more experienced in free climbing. Skeeter didn't want a trophy anyway; it would just be a thing taking up space. What she was interested in was the competition itself. "All right, deal."

Boober said, "Sage and I will be cooking a special dinner tonight. I want you all back here at dinnertime sharp. And, Mokey, I need some things from the garden. A radish about this big around—" he made a hoop with his arms—"and a full pod of peas, and a squash, and a zucchini, and a small eggplant."

Mokey listened to his request, then sang,  
"Boober needs a radish big as he can hold.  
And a pair of squashes, green and crookneck gold.  
Climb up on a pea plant, pick a pod that's ripe,  
Then a small black egg—plant, not the nest-bound type."

Boober said, "That's perfect. Oh, and if you see some fresh parsley, I wouldn't say no to a few sprigs for garnish."

Sage said to Janken, "Want to help us cook?"

"I'd like to, but there are some parts of the Rock I want to show Scooter."

"Can I come too?"

Janken shook his head. "Sorry, but this wouldn't be a good time."

She looked down at her plate and wiped up some honey dribblings with the last of her quickbread. Boober waited for her to say something more, but she didn't.

* * *

After breakfast Scooter and Janken put on light backpacks and went off. Janken had packed for them both. They weren't going to be gone for long, so Scooter didn't know why they needed to carry them, but Janken had insisted.

They passed through some beautiful caves. One was like the inside of a geode, with huge, glittering crystals lining the walls. Another had a series of curtainlike flowstone formations that, if you tapped them gently with a stick, rang like a xylophone. A third cavern had huge clusters of long, thin, crystalline stalactites hanging off the ceiling like chandeliers. Scooter looked at each of these with wonder, and each time thought this was what Janken had wanted to show him, but then Janken had led him further on, to what looked like a large crack in the side of a passage. Janken found two rocks, and set them one on top of the other in front of it. Then they entered the small, rough-walled passage, and walked through—taking off their backpacks and turning sideways to squeeze through one pinch point—and finally emerged into a small room. The floor was covered with pillars, stalagmites, and simple boulders. There were so many Janken had to climb around to go further into the room.

Scooter followed him, curious as to what wonders could lie beyond. What he saw was an area covered in soft, green moss, with a small pond along one wall. Janken said, "What do you think?"

"It's nice," Scooter said, trying to guess what was special about this cavelet. "What kind of water is this?"

"The usual kind. Fresh. Do you know why I brought you here?"

"I was wondering."

"There are many wonders in Fraggle Rock. This cave boasts one of the rarest qualities of them all: privacy. It's so far out, nobody comes out here. Mokey discovered it, and did some beautiful paintings of it before telling everyone about it. It never became popular because it's not close enough to the main colony. Although Fraggles do come here at midsummer."

The Fraggle breeding season. Scooter had to laugh. "Jan, you brought me all the way out here to get me alone?"

"Yep," Janken said. He took Scooter's hand between his.

Jan's hands were warm... "How sure are you that nobody will wander by with the same idea you had?" Scooter asked.

"Did you see the stones I put in front of the cave? Rocks piled up, or a dropped sock, or some other sign that someone's there will tell others that they want to be left alone. Among Fraggles privacy isn't a matter of locked doors, it's courtesy." He lifted Scooter's hand and licked one of his fingers.

"Jan, what's on your mind?"

"Frisking," he replied with an impish grin.

Scooter chuckled and glanced around. "Um... This is not exactly what I'm used to. But, well, I don't mind giving it a try."

Janken said gently, "I understand. Maybe something will happen and maybe it won't. We'll just ride the train where it goes, all right?"

"All right," Scooter agreed.

"First things first. These backpacks and things." Janken took his backpack off and set it on a flat rock formation like a stalagmite that had been sawn off. Scooter put his there too. Janken put his jacket on top. Scooter expected the Fraggle to slide right into the pool, but he didn't. "Lose the shoes and socks. Feel the moss under your feet."

Scooter was already taking off his jacket. He said "Yessir. What's in the backpacks?" as he removed his footwear.

"Snacks. A few small knit blankets for towels."

"Of course you'd plan for a swimming trip," Scooter laughed. He rubbed his feet on the cool moss. "Nice. Fuzzy."

Janken untucked part of Scooter's shirt from his jeans, then put his arm around his waist. When Janken was in this mood, he wanted to touch Scooter, not Scooter's clothing. Scooter removed his shirt and set it on top of his jacket. Janken kissed him, then said, "Lie back on the moss."

The two lay back together. Scooter said, "Feels like halfway between grass and a carpet."

"Smells better, though," Janken said. He turned on his side and, putting an arm around Scooter, breathed warmly into his ear.

Scooter closed his eyes and shivered. He turned and kissed Janken full on, his hands ruffling through the soft fur on his body. Janken stroked Scooter's warm, bare skin.

After several minutes Janken whispered, "Scooter?"

He opened his eyes. Janken's face was flushed. "Yeah?"

Janken laid his hand lightly on Scooter's belt buckle. Scooter had to smile. Janken was such a _polite_ lover. Scooter knew that if he said not yet, or just no, that Janken would accept that without argument or hurt feelings. Knowing that made it easy to say yes.

He set his glasses on top of the rest of his clothes.

* * *

A crowd of Fraggles were assembled at the base of Schist Cliff. Well, almost at the base; the cliff ended in a pond. This made it an ideal site for climbing competitions because anyone who fell would land safely in the water. Skeeter, Red, and a female green Fraggle named Geezil were at their starting spots on either side of the water.

The World's Oldest Fraggle announced, "You know why we're here! I know why we're here! It's the final event in the Fraggleathelon, the cliff-climbing contest! Who will win? Will it be Red? Will it be Geezil? Or will it be..." He stopped and stared, then said, "Henchy, I must need new glasses. I don't recognize that Fraggle there without the tail."

"She isn't a Fraggle, she's a Silly Creature," Henchy told him.

Red called over, "Her name is Skeeter, and I invited her to race! Anyone mind?" She looked around, challenging anybody to object.

The World's Oldest Fraggle said, "A Silly Creature, eh? That's a first. Well, I knew that if I lived long enough eventually I'd see everything." He shouted, "On your marks! Get set!" He looked at them. "Are you set?"

"Yeah!"

"Then GO!"

The three contestants began climbing. Skeeter worked partly by sight, looking for things to hold onto, and partly by touch, finding the best grips with her hands and feet. She thought she was making good time until Red passed her. When Red was well above her she paused and smirked down at Skeeter. "Need some help?"

"No," Skeeter said, irked.

The Fraggles below were cheering for their favorites. Poncle, sitting on Mokey's lap, was cheering lustily for Skeeter. Poncle had wanted badly to climb the cliff herself, and Red's explanation that it was too long a climb for a little Fraggle did not satisfy the little Fraggle in question. Red had hit upon the idea of making her part of Skeeter's team, so she would help Skeeter along by cheering for her. Amazingly, Poncle had agreed. She was participating, so she thought, and that's what mattered!

Red looked down again. Both Geezil and Skeeter were far below her. No surprise there; Red had scaled this cliff so many times she could climb it with her eyes closed. She wished Gobo were here; then she'd have some real competition. It would be mean to finish too fast and leave the other two to struggle in her wake, so she slowed down.

Skeeter hadn't expected to win, and, she told herself, she was living up to her expectations. But she was gaining on Red. Even if she caught up it would be hard to pass her, as she was right above Skeeter. Skeeter was starting to get irritated at seeing Red's orange behind every time she looked up.

Red looked down again. The Silly Creature was getting close. She had guts. Red resumed her normal speed. When she was near the top a crumbly bit of rock slid out from under her left foot, almost making her lose her grip. She held on tight and cried "Watch out below!" while she tried to find another foothold.

Skeeter heard Red and looked up just in time to get a faceful of gravel and grit. It struck her glasses and covered the lenses with crud. If she hadn't been wearing glasses that stuff would have fallen into her eyes! She shook her head as much as she dared, because she couldn't spare a hand to wipe the dirt off her face.

Red pulled herself over the final ledge and stood at the top of the cliff, raising her arms and whooping triumphantly. The Fraggles below cheered, even those who had been rooting for the other two. Somebody won, and that was worth cheering for. But they continued encouraging Geezil, who reached the top second, then stood there, panting and looking surprised that she had actually made it. Red patted her back. It took longer for Skeeter to get to the top, as she was barely able to see through the dirt on her glasses. Red, realizing that Skeeter was in trouble, called down, "Need help?"

"No thanks!" Skeeter snapped.

When Skeeter finally reached the top Geezil and Red each took an arm and pulled her up over the ledge. Red said, "Nice going!"

Skeeter said in a low voice, "Nice kicking dirt down at me."

"What? I didn't do that on purpose. My foot slipped. Didn't you hear my warning?"

"'Look out below'? Was that what that was supposed to be?"

"Yeah, what else would I mean?"

Skeeter stopped herself. She wanted to be angry with Red, but if that was a proper warning, and Skeeter just didn't understand in time, well, it wasn't Red's fault. "Anyway, I need to clean my glasses. I hope they aren't scratched." She couldn't wipe them on her shirt; that would be sure to rub grit into the lenses. "So how do we get down? Climb again?"

Red picked up a coil of rope. One end was tied to a big boulder. She tossed the other end down. "We rappel!" she cried out, and bounded over the edge. Skeeter watched as she bounced down the side of the cliff and plunged into the pool at the bottom. Geezil went second, hand over hand. Skeeter slid down. She would have thrown a few gymnastic tricks in to make up for her glitchy climb, but the way her luck was running today she would have smacked face first into the cliffside.

She had cooled off by the time she reached the bottom. The other Fraggles were celebrating the winners, the runners-up, or just celebrating in general. Wembley asked Red, "Want me to get you the trophy from our room?"

"No, that's all right, Wembley. I'll wait 'til Gobo comes back. I want to get it from _his_ hands!"

Poncle said to Skeeter, "I cheered for you. Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I did. Thanks!" To Red she said, "No hard feelings."

"Yeah," Red agreed. "You're pretty good. Next time you join a Fraggle race, I'll give you some tips so you won't get caught by surprise again."

"I don't know. You've got the home field advantage. I probably wouldn't stand a chance against you in any Fraggle sport, just like you'd have a hard time with 'silly creature' sports." She knelt by the pond and dipped her glasses in.

As she swirled them around in the water to wash off the dirt she heard Red's voice close beside her. "What do you mean, Silly Creature sports?"

"Oh, things you couldn't do in these caves. Parkour, for example."

"What's that?"

Red was hooked. Skeeter wiped her glasses gently on her shirt, then squinted at the lenses. No major scratches, whew. She put them on again and said, "It's like a race, but with obstacles. You go over, under, through, whatever."

"Oh, an obstacle course? Shoot, no problem," Red scoffed.

"Maybe down here, in caves that you know by heart, and I'd just get lost in," Skeeter said mildly. "Home field advantage, after all."

"I don't need a home field advantage. Tell you what—_you_ choose the course, and we'll race!"

Skeeter smiled. "You're on."

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, Poncle, and Geezil are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Sage, Poncle, and Geezil Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	9. 9: Ping!

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 9: **_**Ping!**_  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

That evening, the Fraggle Five plus their children and their children's guests gathered in Wembley and Gobo's room, which was just big enough to accommodate them all. Boober and Sage brought in a hot covered dish which leaked little wisps of delicious-smelling steam. They left it covered and went out again, to return a minute later, Boober carrying a wok full of ratatouille, and Sage with a basket of hot bread. They set the dishes down. Then Boober, who by now had everyone's undivided attention, whisked the cover off the first dish with a proud flourish. In it was hot, buttery baked radish, sliced into steak-sized discs speckled with a mixture of spices.

"Wow, that looks good enough to eat!" Wembley enthused.

"I certainly hope so," Boober replied. He put a ladle in the wok and a serving fork on the radish platter. That was the signal for everyone else to dig in, and they did. They were always hungry by dinnertime anyway, and Boober's presentation had whetted their appetites further.

Skeeter and Scooter took some ratatouille and bread. Scooter took a small portion of radish too. It did smell good. For a radish.

Sage and Boober served themselves last. Boober noticed how little radish the twins had taken, and chalked it up to their not having much taste for the vegetable. Poor Silly Creatures. Sage wasn't paying attention to their guests. She filled her plate quickly and sat next to Janken.

For a little while there was no conversation, just the sound of people devouring food. Scooter found the ratatouille good, in an exotic kind of way, and the bread moist and pleasant. The radish was tender and well herbed, but, when you got down to it, it was still radish. He was glad he had taken a small serving.

"Where'd you go today, Jan?" Sage asked when the edge was off her hunger.

"Scooter and I saw some of the neater caverns. He's never been in a cave before he came here, believe it or not."

_And I couldn't come with you?_ Sage thought, but didn't say it.

Red said, "Gobo, you have something of mine. I'd like it back."

"Oh? What?" Gobo asked, looking up from his second helping of radish.

"That rock-climbing trophy!" She pointed at the shelf on the wall where it had been displayed for all to see for the last two years. Since it was opposite the entrance, every day for two years it had been the first thing Red saw when she entered the cave.

"Oh, that? Sure."

Gobo put down his plate, took down the trophy, and brought it over to Red. She held it over her head and crowed, "The champion!"

"I helped!" Poncle exclaimed, clapping.

"You sure did, kid," Red said. She say back down and rumpled Poncle's hair. Poncle giggled and swatted Red's hand away, then straightened the feathered headband that framed her face.

"Speaking of which, I've got to scout out a course," Skeeter mentioned.

"For what?" Janken asked.

"An obstacle race."

"Obstacle? Parkour?" Scooter said, turning to Skeeter.

"Yep."

"Oh boy."

"Want some help? I know all the tricky spots in the Rock," Red offered.

Skeeter said, "No, thanks. I can manage it myself."

"Ah, you want it to be a surprise? Fair enough. After all, Schist Cliff was new to you."

"Thanks. You're a sport." She said to Scooter, "Can I borrow your cell?"

"Huh? Okay," he said.

"Thanks. I'd better start now. Thanks, that was a great dinner," Skeeter said, getting up.

Boober said, "Don't leave yet. You'll miss dessert."

Skeeter thought, _Radish cake, radish ice cream, or radish with radish frosting. I'll pass._ But she kept a straight face as she said, "Thanks, but I'm watching my weight." Then she darted out.

Surprised, Boober looked around at the others, then shrugged.

* * *

Skeeter went to the 'hidey-hole' behind Boober's cave where she, Scooter, and Janken had slept last night. Fraggle Rock was a regular rabbit warren, she thought. Fortunately years of hiking and other wilderness activities had sharpened her memory for landmarks. She'd been alert since she came down here, so she found her way back with no problem.

She opened Scooter's backpack and found his cell phone in a zippered inside pocket. She turned it on. It had plenty of charge. She found the photos and looked at the most recent one. Then she shut the phone down, put it in one of her jacket pockets, and went out again.

* * *

After dessert, which was a creamy, utterly radish-free fruit salad, Red narrated the drama of The Climbing of Schist Cliff. The recitation quickly developed into a song. Scooter was amazed. Janken had told him that Fraggles could and frequently did compose songs on the fly, but he had thought he was exaggerating. He found it hard to believe that she was just making this up as she went along. Gobo backed her up on a guitar that looked like it was made from a large gourd, not minding how Red twitted him for being too intimidated, lazy, or downright cowardly to enter the race himself. She compared him to Skeeter, who at least had the guts to compete fair and square despite not having a chance. Scooter was glad that Skeeter had cut out already; he wasn't sure she'd have taken that in the spirit intended.

The song ended, and everyone was grinning about it. It was as if Red and Gobo had gotten all the residual tension out of their systems, Scooter thought. And at breakfast Mokey had made a song of Boober's grocery list as if it were as simple as writing it down. But then, he hadn't seen much writing while he was here. Maybe that's what they did instead of writing things down?

Poncle said, "I want a Silly Creature song."

Janken said to Scooter, "That's a good idea. Why don't you sing something?"

Scooter said, "Um, singing a capella really isn't my thing."

Wembley asked, "Who's Al Cappella?"

Scooter answered, "I mean, I'm not used to singing without music. I'm pretty sure you guys don't know any of the songs I do."

Janken nudged Scooter, and when he looked over, hummed a tune. Scooter recognized it. "That wouldn't make any sense without a guitar."

"All you need is a guitar? Wait right here." Janken jumped up and hurried out of the room. Less than a minute later he came back with a guitar, which he handed to Scooter.

Scooter looked at the instrument in surprise. It was made of wood, with decorative carving and dyes on the neck and body. And it only had three strings. Janken explained, "There are always instruments in the Great Hall so if someone gets inspired they can go to it. When a Fraggle really gets into something, like Gobo with his guitar and Wembley with his bongos, then they make a special instrument of their own."

So, this was common property, everybody's and nobody's? It looked too well-cared-for. He said to Janken, "It's been years since I even touched a guitar. Are you sure you want me to play that?"

"Yeah! It's _great!"_ Janken swung his arm with comic enthusiasm.

Scooter rolled his eyes. "Oh, sheesh. Fine then." He hung the guitar around his shoulders on the strap and began testing the strings, trying to find the notes and chords he would need. After he did he practiced strumming them, getting his hand to remember them so he wouldn't have to think about them while singing. He told the other Fraggles, who were watching with great interest, "When I was a kid I took guitar lessons. Our guitars are different. For one thing, they have more strings, and the frets are in different places. So, bear with me. This won't be pretty."

"We understand. Everyone started somewhere," Mokey said encouragingly.

"Thanks. I remember the guitar I had. I even named it," Scooter said. He felt comfortable enough with the guitar, or as comfortable as he was going to get, so he started on the intro. He picked at the strings, playing a slightly awkward tune, and sang,  
"The very day I purchased it I christened my guitar  
As my monophonic symphony, Six String Orchestrar.  
In my room I'd practice late. They'd leave me alone.  
My mother said, 'You're nothing yet to make the folks write home.'"

Sage thought, no kidding. His playing was pretty bad. Well, he couldn't help it, she guessed. It took a little while to get used to a new instrument, and Janken had told her that Silly Creatures were not musically gifted. At least he could sing well.

Scooter continued,  
"I'd play at all the talent nights. I'd finish, they'd applaud.  
Some called it muffled laughter; I just figured they were awed.  
So I went up for an encore but they screamed they'd had enough.  
Well, maybe I just need a group to help me do my stuff."

His strumming became smoother, and he sang with more energy,  
"And so I'd dream a bass will join me and fill the bottom in.  
And maybe now some lead guitar so it would not sound so thin.  
I need some drums to set the beat and help me keep in time.  
And way back in the distance, some strings would sound so fine.

And we'd all play together like fine musicians should,  
And it would sound like music, and the music would sound good.  
But in real life I'm stuck with that same old formula,  
Me and my monophonic symphony-"

He played what was supposed to be a dramatic downward arpeggio, but dissolved into a clumsy tumble of off-key notes.  
"-Six String Orchestra."

He winced at the sound of his own playing, then went back to strumming chords. When he found his footing he glanced at Janken, then began the next verse.  
"Oh, I write love songs for my favorite guy and sing 'em soft and slow.  
But before I get to finish he says he has to go.  
He's nice and says "Excuse me, I've got to find a bar,  
I think I need refreshment 'fore I hear you play guitar."

Janken laughed, surprised. Scooter grinned back and sang,  
"Oh, I sent a demo tape I made to the record companies.  
Two came back address unknown, one came back C.O.D.  
Of course I got warm letters all saying pleasant things.  
Like suggesting I should find a trade where I would not have to sing.

"But still I'd dream a bass will join me and fill the bottom in."

Gobo began playing his guitar, surprising Scooter. He wasn't playing the bass part from the original song, but making up something that fit just as well. Scooter went on,  
"And maybe now some lead guitar so it would not sound so thin.  
I need some drums to set the beat and help me keep in time."

Wembley jumped in with a lively rhythm on his bongos. When Scooter glanced up at him, he smiled down encouragingly.

"And way back in the distance, some strings would sound so fine."

Mokey and Red didn't have string instruments, so they sang the background. Wow, Scooter thought, this was actually coming together!

"And we'd all play together like fine musicians should,  
And it would sound like music, and the music would sound good.  
But in real life I'm stuck with that same old formula,  
Me and my monophonic symphony, Six String Orchestra."

He ended with another clumsy arpeggio, flinched in exaggerated embarrassment, and went back to strumming chords again.

"I've been taking guitar lessons, but my teacher just took leave.  
It was something about a breakdown, or needing a reprieve.  
But I know I found my future, so I will persevere  
And hold onto my dream of making music to their ears!"

For the final chorus, the other Fraggles sang along, clapping the rhythm with their hands. Again Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, and Red came in on their cues.

"And so I'll dream a bass will join me and fill the bottom in.  
And maybe now some lead guitar so it would not sound so thin.  
I need some drums to set the beat and help me keep in time.  
And way back in the distance, some strings would sound so fine."

He cried in mock desperation, "I need all the help I can get!" The Fraggles laughed and sang along with the final verse,  
"And we'd all play together like fine musicians should,  
And it would sound like music, and the music would sound good!  
But in real life I'm stuck with that same old formula,  
Me and my monophonic symphony, Six String Orchestra!"

The final arpeggio clanked painfully down, and then Scooter played the outro, the same chords he had been playing, but clumsier, as if he barely remembered them. When he reached the end he said sheepishly, "Eric Clapton, eat your heart out."

* * *

They spent the rest of the evening singing, and chatting, and generally hanging out as a family. Mokey recited a poem, and, as she had composed it that evening, it was not too long. When it got dark they returned to their various homes. Mokey and Wembley came to Boober's cave and helped wash the dinner dishes. It was an unspoken rule that someone else always did the dishes when Boober cooked. They chatted as they worked, and when the last dry dish was put away they left for home after various expressions of family affection in which Janken and Scooter were included.

Janken and Scooter were going back into the hidey-hole when Sage said, "Um, Scooter?"

That was the first time she had spoken to him. "Yeah?"

"I liked your song."

He smiled. "Thanks."

Janken nudged him. "See?"

"Jan?" Sage said hesitantly.

"Uh-huh?"

She looked at him for a long moment. Then she dropped her gaze to the floor and said softly, "Nothing."

Boober was watching. She was trying, but Janken had no clue what was wrong. When Scooter and Janken went back to the hidey-hole Boober and Sage changed into their nightclothes. Sage got into bed. Boober took a jar down from the pantry and came over to her bed. "Sage. Want a cookie?"

She opened her eyes. He was standing there, offering an open cookie jar. She reached in and took out a potato cookie. Then she scooted over. "They taste better with you, Papa."

He got into the bed next to her and, sitting up, put an arm around her. She leaned against him, and they ate cookies together without talking.

* * *

As he changed into pajamas Janken said, "I knew you'd be fine with that song. They really liked it."

Scooter said wryly, "A song about not being able to play guitar. It's honest, at least."

"Oh, c'mon. You can play decently."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, there's the Robin Hood show. You played the lute pretty well."

Scooter stared at him. Then he laughed. "Jan, I wasn't playing the lute! Someone else was playing the music offstage and I was faking. If you watched my hand you'd see that sometimes I forgot to strum."

Shocked, Janken said, "You're kidding!"

Scooter shook his head. "I never got the hang of playing any instrument. I can keep a rhythm with a pair of maracas, but that's about it. I'm surprised I was able to limp through _Six String Orchestra_."

And Janken had boxed him into it, he realized. He said, "I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"

"It's okay."

"I guess we're even for the jug band thing."

Poor Janken, he really was upset. Scooter said, "Jan, listen. It's _okay_. If I really didn't want to play it, I would have said no. So relax, all right? It was fun."

Janken nodded. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "It was the best thing you could have done to fit in with my family."

"They were friendly from the start, but they seemed a little warmer after I sang that. I didn't know if I was imagining it or not."

"Not. See—music changes things," Janken explained. "When people sing together, it's not 'you and me' or 'us and them'. It's just 'we.' Nobody can be strange or alien if they're singing with you. Music joins people. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I think so," Scooter replied.

* * *

It was dark and everyone was asleep when Skeeter returned to the hidey-hole. She could have used the light from the screen of Scooter's phone to find her way, but she honored Janken's request not to show off technology to the Fraggles. She took the phone out of her pocket and put it back in its compartment in Scooter's backpace. Scooter awoke and said, "Skeet. Where were you?"

"Just doing some scouting. It took a little longer than I expected. I'll need to borrow your phone again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks. Night."

"Good night."

She changed into the pajamas by touch, and got into bed. When she fell asleep she was smirking.

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, and Poncle, are copyright © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. _Six String Orchestra_ is copyright © Harry Chapin. All copyrighted characters and properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Sage, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	10. 10: The Great Traceurs

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 10: The Great Traceurs  
**by Kim McFarland

* * *

It was a cool and pleasant morning. Fraggles were messing around in the Great Hall, working up to the day's scheduled frolic.

Skeeter found Red swimming in the pond in the center of the Great Hall with Wembley and Poncle. She called, "Red!"

Red glanced over, then told Wembley and Poncle, "Gotta go. See you later!"

"See ya!" Wembley replied. Poncle didn't notice; she was too busy splashing around to worry about minor casting changes.

Red swam for the edge of the pond and climbed out. Skeeter said, "You ready?"

"Yep!"

"Don't you want to dry off?"

"What for?"

"Never mind. Silly question."

* * *

As Skeeter led the way through the caves, Red tried to guess where they were going. Where could they hold an obstacle race? She knew these caves like the back of her hand, and she couldn't figure out what Skeeter had planned.

When Skeeter started down a stairway cut into the rock Red balked. "Wait a minute!"

"What?" Skeeter turned back.

"Do you know what this is? This leads to Outer Space!"

Skeeter grinned. "Of course. How do you think I got into Fraggle Rock in the first place?"

"But every tunnel leads to a different place. We could get lost!"

"Nope. I know where to go. But if you'd rather forfeit..."

"Hey! I'm no quitter," Red exclaimed indignantly, and followed her down.

"Okay, okay. Just wanted you to know I wouldn't think any less of you if you had to bail." Skeeter started to take the phone out of her pocket, then paused. They weren't supposed to show technology to Fraggles. Well... she could slip this by. She took it out and, hiding all but the screen with her hand, checked the second to last image. Then she looked around for the corresponding passage.

Red saw the screen. Oh, a camera, she thought. It looked like the one Doc had. She glanced around, then said, "It's that one over there, isn't it?"

Skeeter looked where Red was pointing. "Yeah." She put the camera away again and started for it.

Red gulped. Now it was official; she had been suckered into a race in Outer Space. She'd left herself wide open when she let Skeeter choose the course. Well, if Skeeter thought that Red Fraggle was too scared to follow her to Outer Space, she was wrong!

Skeeter led Red down the passage. When it became a mere dirt-walled tunnel Red had to force herself not to say anything. Dirt tunnels were unstable, prone to cave-ins and floods. Fraggles avoided them; why bother with them when they have more friendly, stable limestone caverns than they know what to do with?

They emerged in a forest. When Red's head popped out of the hole she looked all around. Trees everywhere! She was used to trees; they grew in and around the Gorgs' garden. But here they were everywhere! There must be dozens!

Skeeter watched as Red nerved herself to come out of the hole in the ground. She deliberately did not notice how scared Red was now. "First, a few lessons. Parkour is about going forward no matter what obstacles are in your way. Go over, under, through, but going around or backtracking is wimping out. It's usually done in a city, but this is more convenient right now. Unless you're up to a drive back into town."

"I don't care. Anywhere is fine with me," Red replied, trying hard to sound casual.

Skeeter had to give her points for bravado. "Uh-huh. Well, might as well race here; it'd take too long to drive to town and back. So, let's do a practice run. From here to the big tree past the hill." Skeeter pointed.

Red saw the hill, but beyond that it became a confusion of trunks and branches and leaves. "Gotcha."

Skeeter took a moment to stretch her legs, then dropped into starting position. "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

Both took off running. The hill was easy; one would have to be careless to be tripped up by the gravelly slope. On the other side, however, were some fallen trees. Skeeter ducked under one and vaulted the next, while Red jumped up on the first, leapt to the second, and hopped back down again. After that was a rocky patch requiring some minor climbing, and then a straight run to the obvious target, the biggest tree in sight. Red and Skeeter reached it at the same time. Leaning against the tree, barely breathing hard, Red scoffed, "Is that all there is to it? I've had tougher walks across the Gorgs' garden!"

"That was just a practice run," Skeeter replied. "Now that we're warmed up, let's get this on for real."

"Yeah!" Red thought, this wasn't scary. And it would be worth it to wipe that smirk off Skeeter's face. This Silly Creature thought Red Fraggle couldn't handle a few trees and rocks? Hah!

Skeeter started walking. "The real run is a lot longer, and a lot more challenging," she said.

"I hope so!"

Skeeter led them through the forest. Suddenly Red realized that if she tried to find her way back to the hole she wouldn't be able too; there was nothing but trees and more trees in every direction. She tried not to think about that.

Skeeter led them to a huge slab of tilted stone. She said, "This is the start. We go over this rock, and straight forward. There's a little more forest, then a gully with a stream—"

"What's a gully?"

Skeeter paused, then realized that of course there were no gullies in stone caves. She explained, "It's a place where water has cut down into the earth."

"Oh, like when a stream wears a groove in the rock?"

Getting out the camera again, Skeeter said, "Yeah, but a lot deeper. Anyway, across that and up the other side. Then it's a straight run to this tree." She showed Red a picture on the phone's screen. It was a round tree silhouetted against the sky, much taller than the trees surrounding it.

"Got it," Red told her.

"Any questions?"

"Just when you're going to quit stalling."

"All right." Skeeter grinned. She posed, ready to run, then said, "You call it."

The Fraggle readied herself, then said, "On your mark! Get set! Go!"

Both started up the rock. It was steep enough that they bent forward to let their hands do some of the work, but it wasn't quite climbing. When they reached the top they were faced with a sharp drop. Skeeter leapt for the tree in front of herself. She caught the limb, swung, dropped to a lower limb, then landed on the ground with a rustle of leaf litter. Red was startled at the Silly Creature's athletic display. But only for a moment; she jumped too, then dropped to the ground, rolled, and popped up to her feet. Fraggles know how to fall.

The next part was a run through the forest. Easy enough. She had to detour around a few trees, deciding that it was just silly to climb over a tree. She did hurdle over and push through some bushes. Then the ground came to a stop, and she saw what must be the gully: a gouge in the earth as wide as the Great Hall, with water flowing in the bottom. Skeeter was halfway down the dirt slope. Red went down in a controlled fall rather than taking the time to climb down. The earth was soft—and, because she was still damp from her morning swim, it stuck to her. She hadn't counted on that. But there was the river, so the dirt wouldn't stick for long! She splashed in and began swimming. Though Skeeter started out in the lead, Red was the stronger swimmer, and soon passed her.

Skeeter was swept downstream, but not far; she knew the currents in this stream, and also the bank on the other side. She came out of the water in front of a stony rise, perfect for climbing while wet. She pulled herself up. Meanwhile, Red, who had gone straight across, was digging her formerly-clean fingers and toes into crumbly soil as she climbed up.

When she reached the top of the gully she pushed past the bushes. Beyond that was a grassy field dotted with erratic stones and scrubby bushy things, and, on the other side, more trees, with one big tree in front of them. They weren't as big as they looked in the picture, Red thought as she ran forward through the waist-high grass.

As she ran she looked around. The field surrounded her. Wherever she looked, there was empty distance. She suddenly realized that she could not tell how far away anything was; her eyes couldn't focus. It was as if she was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to tell her where she was.

Skeeter shot ahead of her.

* * *

Skeeter ran, vaulting smaller obstacles and climbing over others. She had bet that Red was good with obstacles, but Skeeter would be able to beat her in a straight run. Now she was not so sure, so she ran as hard as she could, but not so hard that she couldn't put on a show for anyone who happened to be watching from behind.

She reached the shade of the tree and, barely having slowed down in case Red was about to overtake her at the last moment, cushioned her stop with outstretched hands. Then she turned around, ready to speak.

Red was nowhere to be seen.

The Fraggle must be up to something. Skeeter sat on one of the roots and leaned back against the trunk to wait.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later she was not so sure. At first she thought Red might have dropped to all fours to crawl through the grass unseen for whatever reason, but even if Skeeter didn't spot those big orange pompom pigtails she would have seen the grass move. There were no animals around that could do someone her size harm. And this tree was the biggest, most visible thing here. Even a Fraggle couldn't possibly get lost.

Could she?

Nuts. Red must be pulling some sort of prank, but Skeeter still had to check, just in case. She took off her gloves and laid them on the root as proof that she had been there, then started walking back toward the gully. "Hey, Red!"

She listened for a reply. There was none. She glanced back at the tree, half expecting to see the Fraggle there. She wasn't. Skeeter called louder, "Come on, joke's over! All-e all-e all's-in-free!"

No answer.

The last place she had seen Red was the gully. She jogged briskly across the field. When she got to the gully she shouted, "Red! Where are you?"

"I'm over here," said an unhappy voice from upstream.

Red stepped out from a hollow that the stream had cut in the bank. She looked painfully embarrassed. Skeeter hustled over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You won," Red said, looking away.

Skeeter had expected Red to be daunted by the open field. If Janken could barely grasp such distances even after living for years on the surface, it would knock Red for a loop! But she had only meant to take some of the wind out of her sails, not deflate her entirely. She said, "Sorry, I didn't think it'd be this bad."

"Yeah, well." Red wanted to deny she was scared, but she knew how ludicrous that would sound. She was terrified of this strange world, and ashamed of being afraid. She couldn't even go back to Fraggle Rock; she'd never find the hole hidden among all those trees!

Skeeter said, "Look, I left my gloves back at the tree. Let me go get 'em, and then we'll go home. I'll be right back—" Skeeter said.

Skeeter turned to go. Red said, "Wait!"

Well, she didn't really need those gloves. "Okay, never mind-"

"I'm going with you!"

"What? Red, you don't have to. It doesn't matter."

Red exclaimed, her hands balled into fists, "Yes it does! I'm not a quitter! I can finish the race!"

Skeeter paused, then said, "All right. Let's go together."

They climbed back over the bank. When Red was standing in the grass she shrank into herself, trembling. Skeeter felt crummy when she realized Red was having a full-blown agoraphobia attack. But suggesting she turn back now would only hurt her pride more and make her angry, though. Well, what now? Fraggles are touchy-feely... She put an arm around Red's shoulders and, when she did not stiffen or pull away, started walking. Red came with her.

Fraggles like singing, Skeeter thought. At first her mind was blank. Then she remembered a song from her childhood, and sang,  
"Put one foot in front of the other,  
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor.  
Put one foot in front of the other,  
And soon you'll be walking out the door."

Red made a sound that wanted to be a laugh. Skeeter continued,  
"You never will get where you're going  
If you never get up on your feet.  
Come on, there's a good tail wind blowing,  
A fast-walking gal is hard to beat."

Red joined in on the chorus,  
"Put one foot in front of the other,  
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor..."

When they reached the tree Red touched the tree with one hand, technically completing her part of the race. Then she turned and, her back against the trunk, looked around. The land stretched away in every direction. She had no idea how far away anything was. When she had seen this tree in the distance she had thought it was small for a tree, barely a Gorg's height. But the closer she got the huger it became! It was frightening, but now that she was under it, shaded by its leaves, she felt a little safer.

Skeeter retrieved her gloves and put them on. Then she said, "This was an unfair race. Let's just call it a draw, okay?"

Red insisted, "No way! I lost fair and square. That's what I'm gonna tell Gobo, and that's all anyone needs to know."

"Then that's what I'll say too," Skeeter agreed.

Red slid down until she was sitting. After a bit she said, "How can you stand it, being out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but space around you?"

Skeeter shrugged. "It's not like that with us. Most of us would get lost in your caves, with nothing but rock all around you."

Red shook her head. She couldn't imagine not knowing where you were in caves. The rock itself told you where you were. "Uncle Matt must be out of his mind, coming out here. He can have it."

* * *

They sat under the tree for a while, not saying much of anything. When Red got her nerve up again they walked back, arms around each other's shoulders, singing the same song to keep up Red's spirits.

* * *

Skeeter is copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Poncle are copyright © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. _Put One Foot in Front of The Other _is copyright © Rankin/Bass. All copyrighted characters and properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	11. 11: Spit it Out

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 11: Spit it Out**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

Red and Skeeter entered Wembley and Gobo's room. The rest of the family plus Scooter were there, along with evidence of the reason for their gathering in the form of a recently-finished meal. Red announced, "Hey, everyone! We're back!"

Gobo said, "Where'd you two go off to? It's not like you to miss lunch, Red."

"Skeeter and I were just having a little race in Outer Space. We lost track of time," she answered casually.

Wembley exclaimed, "You did? Outer _Space?_ Really?"

"Sure did! Is there any lunch left over? I'm starved."

Boober said, "I just happened to have saved some for you. You too, Skeeter."

"Aw, thanks, Boober," Red said as she accepted a plate from him. Skeeter took the one he offered her, stifling her reluctance. It was kind of him, but she simply didn't like radishes. However, this looked more like quiche. And, she realized when she tasted it, it _was_ quiche, with lots of vegetables, many of which weren't radishes. It was good, too.

"Did you win, Mama? You won, right?" Poncle asked eagerly.

"Gimme a moment," Red answered. She was busy demolishing her lunch. Being terrified was hungry work. The others let her eat in peace. When Red was more eager to eat than to boast, she had to be famished. When she finished that she said, "Got any dessert?"

"Of course," Boober said, offering some pink squares.

Red snagged one eagerly and told Skeeter, "These are great!"

"Cool." Skeeter took the other.

Boober began, "Wait-"

Skeeter bit in. Then she stopped, startled and appalled and trying not to show it.

Puzzled, Boober said, "Scooter told me you didn't like radish."

Embarrassed, she said, "A-heh-heh, yeah. I wasn't gonna say anything. It caught me by surprise."

"You don't like radish bars? You _are _Silly Creatures," Red told her.

Boober offered Skeeter some grape-sized blueberries in a bowl. She said "Thanks," and began eating, mostly to get the taste of sugared radish out of her mouth.

"You gonna finish that radish bar?" Red asked.

"You want it? Here," Skeeter answered.

"Thanks!"

Gobo said, "So, tell us about this race of yours."

Red swallowed the last of the radish bar and began, "After we climbed Schist Cliff yesterday I told Skeeter she could choose the course for our rematch. The next day, she led us both—you know where?"

"Outer Space!" Poncle yelled.

"That's right! Down into the T. Matthew Fraggle room we went. Then into one of its thousands of mysterious passages. The passage turned into a dirt tunnel. Down the damp, twisty tunnel we went. And then we came up into a land filled with trees. So many trees, you could never see the end of them! If you ever forgot where the hole in the ground was, you'd be lost forever!"

Skeeter was listening with a grin. If Red was going to milk this, Skeeter wouldn't contradict her. In fact, she was looking forward to hearing Red's saga.

Red continued, "It was an obstacle race. First we ran up a huge rock and jumped from the top onto trees and climbed down them to the ground. Then into a valley made of dirt instead of stone."

"That would explain how dirty your shirt is," Boober said queasily.

"Then we swam across the river in the center of that valley. Finally, we had to run across a huge grassy field full of—nothing! Empty nothing all around, as if everything in the world but grass had disappeared! And do you think I was scared?"

"No!" Poncle exclaimed, enthralled.

"You bet your _baloobius_ I was scared! If I ever lost track of my path I'd be lost in Outer Space forever! But Skeeter and I made it to the tree in the middle of all that nothing anyway! And then all the way back," Red finished proudly.

"Wow," Wembley said, awed. "That's some story!"

"Isn't it, though?" Gobo said with a skeptical grin.

"Hey, that's the way it happened," Skeeter said. Well, it wasn't _wrong_.

"So, who won?" Sage asked.

Red jerked a thumb at Skeeter. "What can I say, she's better at that kinda thing than I am."

"Well, I am still proud of you," Mokey said. "It takes so much courage to go that far into Outer Space!"

"Yeah," Red said, pleased that her point had come across.

Janken said to Skeeter, "You beat Red? That's no small feat. Enjoy it while you can, 'cause if I know her she's gonna want a rematch."

"Not any time soon," Red replied. "One trip through Outer Space is enough for me. Gobo and Matt can keep it."

Gobo nodded. He had been watching Skeeter's expression while Red had narrated the saga. She looked amused, as if she was in on some sort of joke. Red wasn't telling the whole story... Well, fine. Despite himself, he _was_ impressed. Outer Space could be scary, and Red had never braved it further than the inside of Doc's home. No matter what else had happened, she deserved to bask in her glory.

After a bit of chatter, Mokey and Gobo gathered up the empty dishes and carried them to the kitchen to wash them. Sage was working over what she wanted to say to Janken in her head. Before lunch she had decided that she would talk to him now. She was about to go to him when he told Scooter, "Speaking of exploring, there's someone else I want you to meet. One of the most important people of the Rock."

Scooter replied, "Sure. 'Speaking of exploring,' you said?"

"You'll see what I mean. C'mon. Oh, I better get my backpack."

They left. Sage sighed and her shoulders sagged. Once again, she was left behind.

Boober had been watching, hoping Sage would finally just tell Janken that she wanted to be with him. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Sage."

"Cookies won't help, Papa," she said softly.

Wembley offered, "I'll talk to him."

Sage shook her head. "No, I know what to do. I need to go now."

"Attagirl," Red told her.

Without further ado she left for the garden. She didn't need an escort. Fraggles had been openly friendly with the Gorgs as long as she had been alive; she had only heard stories about Fraggles being thumped, and few people bothered to tell those stories anymore except as cautionary tales about what a good idea it was to maintain the goodwill of the Gorgs, who after all grew the radishes that fed the Fraggles.

She hurried through the caves. She did not want to wait any longer. She couldn't take any more disappointment! She rehearsed what she was going to say in her head, and as she did she realized how childish it sounded. He's _my_ brother, _I _want him... but, she realized, he wasn't _hers_. No Fraggle could claim another; they could only give of themselves. It wasn't selfish of her to want him to spend some of his time with her... but you can't have everything you want. You had to be happy with what you have. If you kept wanting what you don't have you'd never be satisfied.

It was a sad, sobering thought. She felt like stopping and turning back, returning to her family and their sympathy, but no. She was tired of feeling left out. If Red could brave Outer Space, she could do this.

She emerged into the Gorgs' garden. None of the Gorgs were about. That was good; she didn't need any distractions. She hurried around the wall bordering the garden. The smell was rich here; vegetables and wood and leaf litter and other things, all gradually returning to the soil. Sage said, "Um, Madame Trash Heap?"

The heap began to stir. Philo and Gunge, the Trash Heap's rodentlike heralds, popped up. "Hey, you got an appointment?" Philo asked.

"No," Sage answered.

"Huh," Gunge said. "They never do."

"Do I need one?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, if you had one I'd borrow it. I ain't never had an appointment before."

Both laughed. Marjory the Trash Heap, who had risen to her full height, cleared her throat. Gunge said, "Little Fraggle, you are now in the august, ineffable—"

Philo chimed in, "omnipotent, all-powerful—"

"—lovely and talented—"

"Trash heap," they finished together, and finished with their signature jeer.

The fanfare over, the Trash Heap said, "Now, what have you come to me for, little Fraggle?"

Sage started, "At first I wanted to ask you about what to do to get my brother Janken to do something with me."

"Something? Like what?" the Trash Heap asked.

"Anything! Usually when he comes back from Outer Space we play together and swim and do stuff together. But this time he brought his lover from Outer Space with him, and he only wants to be with him."

"Ah. Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" The Trash Heap said gently.

"Yeah," Sage admitted.

* * *

Janken told Scooter as they climbed out of the tunnel and into a sunny patch of land, "This is the garden I told you about. Most of our food grows here." He listened for a moment, then said, "The Gorgs aren't around. They might be at the stream on the other side of the house."

Scooter looked around. "Everything's so big!"

"Yeah," Janken told him. They went over to the garden and walked down rows of plants bearing beachball-sized tomatoes, peapods a foot long, green squash the size of Gonzo's cannon, pumpkins that one could hollow out and live in... Janken was saying, "We take what we need, and since the Gorgs grow so much, there's plenty for everyone. We just have to be polite and not take too much of any one thing. And I bring seeds for Junior to try out in the garden. Some don't grow, but the ones that do get _huge_. Look at this!" he patted what looked like a thick white column rising from the earth.

"Is that a giant rutabaga?"

"It's a daikon. That's a kind of radish that's shaped like a carrot. In Outer Space they can grow longer than a Fraggle is tall. Here—well, they're a big hit," Janken finished, pleased to the point of smugness.

Scooter caught sight of the door to the Gorgs' barnlike castle. Was that door really to scale? It had to be, which meant the Gorgs were at least twice as tall as Thog. Yikes!

Janken took his hand and said, "C'mon, this way. The best part of the garden's around back."

* * *

Sage continued, "It was like Janken forgot about me. I was as nice as I could, and I did special things just for him. I even asked if I could come with him and Scooter, but he said no. He wasn't mean about it, but..." She stopped for a few seconds, then began again, "I wanted to be mad. Not at Janken, but at the Silly Creature for coming down here and taking my brother away from me. But that's not right. I can't be mad at Scooter. He's nice, and he and my brother are happy together. Before he met him, Janken was lonely. He kept writing in his postcards how much he missed us. I wouldn't want him to be all alone out there again. I kind of wish Scooter hadn't come down here, but he has, so I guess there's no point in that."

"Hey-" Philo began.

Marjorie swatted him without looking away from Sage. "Then what do you want me to do? Use my magic to send him back to Outer Space?"

Sage shook her head. "When Janken's here and doesn't do anything with me, I feel so _lonely._ I just want it to stop hurting. Tell me how to get used to it so I won't feel so crummy."

The Trash Heap sat back. "That is something you must do yourself. I can only tell you the first and most important step you must take."

"What is it?"

"Turn around."

"Turn-?"

Philo and Gunge chorused, "The Trash Heap has spoken!"

Sage had expected the burden to be on her, but she hadn't thought the Trash Heap would just send her away. She said halfheartedly, "Thank you," and turned to go.

Janken and Scooter were standing by the wall. Janken opened his arms and beckoned to her.

Sage ran over. Janken caught her in a hug and held her tight. He whispered, "Sorry, Sage. I didn't know."

Her cheek pressed to his chest, she sniffled. Janken glanced over at Scooter. "We need a moment. Mind?"

"Sure," Scooter replied.

Janken walked with Sage over past the bend in the garden wall. Then Scooter found himself face to face with a hairy, pungent, off-pink creature. "Lookit this, a critter from Outer Space."

A gray one looked him up and down. "I thought you'd be taller."

The Trash Heap beckoned to Scooter. "Come closer. It's not often we get visitors from afar."

* * *

Janken and Sage sat down side by side, their arms around each other. Janken said, "I'm sorry, Sage. I didn't realize how you felt. I do now." He gave her a little squeeze and said, "My pajamas were so soft, and they smell perfect. You must have used a new mossie. And the blueberry quickbread... you remembered that's my favorite. Thank you."

There was so much she had planned to say to him, but it all boiled down to one thing. "You've got another family in Outer Space now. I'm glad that you're happy with them. But... while you're here, couldn't you be my big brother too?"

He hugged her again. "I promise. Starting right now."

* * *

When Janken and Sage came back to the Trash Heap's territory, Scooter and the Trash Heap were in animated conversation. He was telling her about The Muppets and their show, and she was prompting him with the eagerness of a gossipy housewife. It was several minutes before she saw them. When she did she said, "Well, Sage, have you solved that little problem?"

"Yeah. Thank you," Sage replied happily.

Marjory addressed Janken. "What wisdom and advice do you need? Come on, don't be shy. I'm on a roll."

"Actually, I don't need anything. I just wanted to introduce you two. Scooter can't possibly understand Fraggle Rock without seeing our oracle, the Great Trash Heap."

She remarked, "And they say kids today have no respect. I'm very happy to meet your little friend. Don't be a stranger, eh?"

"I won't," Scooter promised. The weirdness of conversing with a living garbage dump had worn off after the first minute. After all, he saw plenty of strangeness among the Muppets, and he'd certainly smelled worse things than compost.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Janken put his backpack on the ground and opened the back. He pulled out a small tree branch and said, "These are crabapples. I picked them in Outer Space. Then I found out that crabapples are too sour to eat." He handed her the branch.

"Oh, how lovely! Exotic fruit." She admired the apples, which were the size of cherries in her large hands. Then she put it among her other trash, folded her arms, and said, "Now I have some special words of wisdom for all three of you."

"Yes?" Janken asked.

She made a shooing gesture with both hands. "Go and have some fun together! You're all family. Act like it."

"The Trash Heap has spoken!"

"We will!" Sage promised.

The three left together. Janken had one arm around Sage's shoulders and was holding hands with Scooter on the other side. Marjory sighed. "It's so nice to solve a problem so quickly."

Gunge remarked, "That orange one's the funniest looking Fraggle I've ever seen, though."

"Yeah," Philo said, and they both snickered.

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, and Poncle are copyright © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters and properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Sage, Janken, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	12. 12: The More, The Merrier

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 12: The More, The Merrier**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

Sage, Janken, and Scooter were walking down the tunnel from the Gorgs' garden to Fraggle rock. Janken was mentally casting about for something special he could do with his little sister. He had overlooked her for most of his time here, and had hurt her feelings without meaning to. She would probably be happy if he just included her in something they did, but he wanted to go further than that to make it up to her.

The weight of his backpack made him think about Outer Space. It was nice in the forest, quiet and pretty, with good things to eat if you knew where to look. And, even better, there was the river, bigger than the biggest Fraggle pond. He had spent hours swimming in it, looking at all the neat stuff in the water—plants, fish, strange rocks, little creatures—and swimming against the gentle tug of the current. He could have spent hours more. He said, "Sage, want to go swimming with us?"

She replied, "Sure! In the Great Hall or the Messin'-Around Cave?"

"How about Outer Space?"

Startled, she stared at him. "Outer Space?"

He said, "There's a river—that's a big stream—near where we came in. It's clean and safe, and it's amazing how big it is. Would you like to?"

Like all Fraggles, Sage was afraid of Outer Space. Caves were safe; what lay outside wasn't. But she trusted Janken. He wouldn't lead her into danger. And she _really_ wanted to do something special with him. She would go, she decided. She was old enough not to need permission, but, she thought, she ought to let someone know just the same. She said, "Yeah, I want to. Can I tell Mama where I am?"

Good choice, Janken thought. Mokey would be the least likely to worry or make a big deal of it. "Sure, go ahead. We'll wait for you here."

* * *

A few minutes later Sage entered Mokey and Red's room. Mokey was sitting on her bed, her diary propped open on her knees, contemplating what to write. Red was sewing costume parts together, and Poncle was supervising. Mokey looked up and asked Sage, "Did you talk to Janken?"

"Yeah. Everything's all right now. He didn't mean to ignore me."

Mokey smiled warmly. "I knew everything would be fine."

"He asked me to go swimming with him and Scooter in Outer Space—"

"Outer Space?" Red said, suddenly alert. "Are you nuts? Do you know what it's _like_ out there?"

Sage said, "Janken said it's safe and the water's clean, and I trust him."

Mokey told Red, "I trust him too."

Red gulped. She couldn't hold Sage back. She said, "Well—be careful, okay? If you get lost, stay still and let them find you."

Poncle said, "I want to go too!"

Red said, "Oh, no! Outer Space is too scary and dangerous!"

"You and Papa Gobo and Uncle Matt and Janken all go! I can too!" Poncle insisted loudly.

Sage was torn for a moment. At first she thought that she didn't want her little sister inviting herself along; this was her special time with Janken. But then she realized that that wasn't right. She didn't need to have Janken all to herself. And she knew how crummy it felt to be left out. Sage said to Red, "If she had a chaperone…"

"I could watch her. I've never been swimming in Outer Space before. If you don't mind my coming along," Mokey said.

Sage said with a smile, "The more the merrier."

"Well, if you're all crazy enough to go out there for real, I might as well take the plunge too," Red said.

She was trying to sound casual, but it was obvious she was afraid. Sage said, "You don't have to. But if you want to, sure. We'll make it a party."

Poncle jumped into the air, waving her fists and squealing "Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"

* * *

Gobo and Wembley were in the pond in the Great Hall, floating lazily in the water. Fraggles could swim and loaf at the same time. Skeeter was lounging by the side, enjoying a restful day after her race with Red. Nobody was expecting a hammock-thwacked Fraggle to smack into the center of the pond. Gobo and Wembley sputtered and laughed, and Skeeter wiped water off her glasses. Sage surfaced. "Gotcha, Papas! And Skeeter!"

Wembley laughed again. Gobo asked, "What's going on, Sage?"

"Mokey and Red and Poncle and I are gonna swim in Outer Space with Janken and Scooter. Wanna come?"

Gobo and Skeeter both said, _"Red's_ going?"

"Yep."

"Willingly?" Skeeter asked in disbelief.

"Yep. Are you gonna come?"

"Sure," Gobo said, climbing out of the pond.

"Yeah," Wembley said.

"How about you, Skeeter?"

"Sure, I'm in."

* * *

Boober, whose home was adjacent to the Great Hall, had heard the conversation. They were all going to Outer Space? For a _swim?_ They were out of their minds. They would need someone sane and cautious and prepared for disaster. He got out his bag, which was full of the remedies he kept on hand for injuries and other emergencies, and waited for Sage.

And waited.

* * *

Sage led the group through the tunnels to where Scooter and Janken were waiting. Surprised, Janken said, "Making a party of it, huh?"

"Yeah. I wanted everyone to have fun with us."

"Well, the more fun you share, the more fun you have," he told her with a smile. He said to the rest of the group, "Let's go!"

The group started toward the T. Matthew Fraggle room. Red looked tense, Wembley noticed. He asked her in a low voice, "Nervous?"

It was that obvious? "Yeah," she admitted.

He took her hand. "Me too."

"Fraidy cat," she said, and squeezed his hand gratefully.

* * *

They went down the steps into the unearthly white cave whose myriad tunnels led to many parts of Outer Space. Janken found the rock in the main floor of the cave that the passage was near. He said to Scooter, "Um, you don't happen to have your phone on you, do you?"

"No. I didn't think we'd need it."

"Erk. Well, no big deal, it's one of the tunnels right near here. I'll scout a little."

Skeeter spoke up. "Don't bother. It's this one," she said, pointing to a tunnel off to the side. "I marked it."

Janken looked at it. "I don't—oh." Her bootprints led in and out. "All right, let's-"

_**"Stop!"**_

Startled, everybody looked back at the entrance to the T. Matthew Fraggle room. Boober, tail lashing angrily, was coming down the stairway. "So everyone's going to Outer Space, hmm? Or _almost_ everybody?"

"Papa-"

"I know, I know, Boober the goof is a killjoy, he's too scared to be any fun!"

Sage stepped forward and explained, "Papa! I didn't think you'd want to go. You hate Outer Space."

"There's a good reason for that! It's dangerous and scary and full of germs and contamination!"

Janken said, "It's safe, I promise. I swam in it for hours and I feel great."

"So far," Boober said darkly.

Sage walked up to Boober. She said, "Papa, I'm sorry I didn't get you too. I thought you'd just say no and worry until we got back. If I knew you'd want to go I would have invited you. Come with us."

"We'd like to have you with us," Janken said.

Wembley added, "Yeah."

"It's not that I _want_ to go," Boober muttered.

She noticed his bag at the top of the stairs. She said, "But you're ready. Papa, you have the best nose in Fraggle Rock. If there's anything wrong with the water you could smell it. Would you come with us and make sure the water's not contaminated?"

Boober held her gaze for a moment, then looked past her to the rest of the group. "What if I say it is?"

Gobo answered, "If you say the water's poisoned, we'd have to be crazy to swim in it."

Wembley agreed, "What he said."

Red put a fist on her hip and said, "You want to come with us. We want you to come with us. What's the holdup?"

Sage said softly, "Jan asked me to go swimming with him and Scooter. I really want to. Please?"

Boober sighed. He was still miffed at being left out, but this was so important to her. He couldn't spoil it for her by refusing. "Okay," he said.

She gave him a hug. "Thanks, Papa."

* * *

The tunnel leading out from the T. Matthew Fraggle room changed from white stone to ordinary gray rock. It opened up into a cozy room, one that would be comfortable for them all to camp in. But the tunnel leading upward from there was made of dirt. Fraggles avoided dirt tunnels, which could collapse without warning. But when Janken, Scooter, and Skeeter went up, there was no choice but to follow.

Boober hung back. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said, his voice quavering.

Red turned back. "C'mon. It's a short tunnel. I've been through it twice today." She held out a hand to him.

He took it, and when someone else clasped his other hand he looked over. Wembley was there. He smiled brightly at Boober. Boober sighed. He couldn't turn back now if he wanted to. There had been a time when he would never have considered even poking his head into outer space, but, surrounded by his family, he was about to do it now. He was amazed that he was not on the verge of panic yet.

* * *

Janken was the first to reach the surface. Then Sage, Scooter, and Skeeter. Mokey came after them, and Gobo with Poncle. Red, Boober, and Wembley brought up the rear. The Fraggles looked all around themselves in wonder. Mokey marveled at the way the air flowed like water, ruffling her hair, and the bold way the trees soared up into the heights far above. Wembley heard small sounds all around them, the sounds of foliage moving in the breeze and different kinds of tree creatures and other animals chattering among themselves, and smiled.

Boober was focused on the scents of this huge, terrifying world. So many things he couldn't identify all around him, so much _space_ everywhere! Red, still holding Boober's hand, whispered to him, "Boober. I know just how you feel."

"No you don't!" he whispered back harshly.

"Yes I do. I felt this way too. Scared out of my mind." She tightened her grip on his hand. "We're right here. We'll stay with you."

He didn't know what to say. He squeezed her hand back.

The first thing that Sage noticed when she stopped gazing at the tree canopy above them was how stark the light here was. One side of Janken's face was light and the other half was dark. Looking around, she saw that everyone else looked the same. It was weird, nothing at all like the gentle, diffuse light of the caves.

Poncle was looking down. The ground was all dirt, just like in the Gorgs' garden, but it was covered by leaves and sticks and things. When she shuffled her feet they made a neat rustling sound. She knelt down and picked up some interestingly-shaped leaves, and tucked one into her hair.

Gobo, seeing that everyone was getting over the initial shock, said, "Let's get this show on the road, eh?"

Skeeter said, "Sure thing. How about near the campground, where we swam before, Jan? The river's wide and deep there."

"That's what I was thinking too."

Scooter looked at the Fraggles. With the exception of Janken and Poncle, they all seemed nervous to varying degrees. Boober looked as if he might bolt. From what Janken had told him, if anyone was going to lose it, it would be him. But there was nothing Scooter could do to help him; Wembley and Red were both giving him moral support. He had to trust that they could handle him if he came to a crisis point.

They walked a gentle downhill path. It ended on the rocky edge of the river. The bank was sheltered by tree branches, giving comfort to the Fraggles. In front of them, sunlight glinted off the largest body of water they had ever seen. It smelled cool and fresh and inviting. Above it, the sky was wide and cloudless, a nerve-wracking sight for Fraggles who were used to looking up and seeing stone. Fortunately, however, they were entranced by the ripples in the water and the dark shapes of fish darting around within.

Now was Boober's moment. He nerved himself, then pushed to the front. "Nobody touch that water!" He set his bag down on the ground and knelt to smell the water. As the other Fraggles watched expectantly, he sniffed at it, then leaned down further, as if peering into its depths. He stayed that way for almost a minute. Then he scooped some water into the palm of his hand and tasted it cautiously. After another long pause he stood up again and said reluctantly, "The water's clean."

The tension broke. Red exclaimed, "Last one in is a Doozer!" and hurled herself into the river. Poncle squealed excitedly and leapt in after her. Gobo and Wembley cannonballed in. Mokey doffed her sweater, yelled "Whoopee!" in a startlingly loud voice, and jumped in. Scooter said to Janken, "Wow, I'd have thought they'd be more nervous about swimming here."

Janken grinned. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? Outer Space may be weird and scary, but Fraggles know water. Any place with clean, running water is a good place. Plus, if Boober okayed it, it's _gotta_ be safe."

Skeeter said, "Scooter, I'll sit this one out. You going in?"

"Yeah."

"I'll hold your glasses."

"Thanks."

Sage had been waiting for Janken to get into the water. She wanted to dive-bomb him. But he wasn't in any hurry, and the rest of the Fraggles minus Boober were swimming, and the water looked so inviting. She was about to jump in when Janken said, "Sage! Wait."

"What?"

Before she knew what had happened Janken grabbed her arms and Scooter had her by the ankles. They swung her twice, then flung her into the river. She sailed over the head of the others, whooping gleefully, then landed in a backflop with a huge splash. Poncle dog paddled to the bank, exclaiming "Me too!"

As soon as the wet little Fraggle was out Scooter and Janken picked her up and tossed her in, not throwing her quite as far. Her excited yell was cut off with a blub when she went under, then continued as soon as she surfaced again.

Janken told Scooter, "Better get in quick or we'll never get off kid-flinging duty." Then he jumped off the bank and into the water with a splash. Scooter took the time to take off his outer clothes—he was wearing his bathing suit underneath—and then joined them.

The Fraggles played in the water, splashing each other, diving below and tickling each other's feet, sometimes pulling each other under. They were careful with Scooter; Silly Creatures might not be up to Fraggle horseplay. Sage and Poncle ganged up on Janken, swimming underwater and grabbing his tail to tag him, then darting off before he could grab them back.

To Skeeter, sitting on the rocky bank, it looked like joyous madness, the kind that would have gotten them kicked out of any public pool. The only Fraggle not in the water was Boober. All he did was sit on the bank, dangling his feet in the water. She sat beside him and said, "Go on. I'll play lifeguard."

He looked over—Skeeter guessed that's what he was doing, as he pointed his face in her direction—and said, "Who, me? No, thank you."

"I thought all Fraggles love to swim."

"Not all."

A pause. Then she said, "Hey, that's fine. Whatever floats your boat."

That turn of phrase was not known to Fraggles, but he guessed its meaning. He nodded, then leaned back, content to take collateral hits from the splash fight.

* * *

Some time later they were happily tired enough to come out of the water to rest. Skeeter stifled a giggle. Poncle had called her skinny because she didn't have fur. Well, this bunch of Fraggles looked like a whole pack of wet rats! Very colorful wet rats. Skeeter, after several days in Fraggle Rock, knew the rhythm of their activity, and said, "Want me to show you what's good to eat around here?"

"Yeah," Gobo said.

"Sure," Wembley chimed in.

Red said, "Let's make it a picnic!"

"Picnic!" Poncle exclaimed.

"Okay. Between the four of us, we can find enough for all of us in no time flat," Skeeter said, pleased to be playing scoutmaster again.

"Wait a minute," Sage told her.

"Okay."

Skeeter watched, puzzled, as she walked away, fiddling with one of her many braids. She went over to Janken and Scooter, then tapped Scooter's arm. When he looked over she pressed something into his hand. She said "Here," then went back to join Skeeter's group.

Scooter saw that she had given him a metal bead, one of the ones that she fastened the ends of her braids with. Seeing Scooter's look of surprise, Janken said, "She's saying she likes you."

Janken had told Scooter that Fraggles often gave each others little gifts, like smooth, pretty stones, to express affection. He said, "It just caught me by surprise."

Mokey, who had been speaking softly to Boober, said, "Little gifts like that are like money to us."

Janken looked at her oddly. "Um, I don't think so, Mama."

"I do. Money is just little bits of metal and paper with pictures on them. The metal and paper isn't useful by itself; it's too small. What makes it worth something is how you use it." She explained to Scooter, "When you need something, you give somebody money in trade for it, so that when they need something they can trade that money for it. It's a way to give somebody what they need even if you don't have it in your hands. It's a symbol. And we give things to each other that may not really be useful or important except for what they mean. Giving somebody a rollie or bead or feather or some other little thing is a symbol for 'I like you.'"

Surprised, Janken said, "That...makes sense. I never saw it that way."

Scooter looked thoughtfully at the bead. He put it in the inner pocket of his jacket for safekeeping, then said to Janken, "Be back in a bit."

Surprised, Janken watches as Scooter went back to the river. He looked at Mokey and Boober, then shrugged.

* * *

Skeeter's gang came back with broad, flat leaves full of the berries, edible leaves, nuts, and fern fiddleheads that she had pointed out to her team of Fraggles. Janken and Mokey had gathered some edibles as well, and Scooter—who was still wet from his second dip in the river—was building a small campfire. Very small; it wouldn't give off enough light or heat to matter, and it was only early evening anyway. Still, it felt appropriate. The Fraggles and Silly Creatures sat in a damp circle around the fire, set out the food they had gathered on the flat leaves, and after Boober judged everything safe to eat they shared the food freely. Against Skeeter's counsel Poncle had insisted on bringing back some crabapples. Skeeter watched as Poncle bit into one, then, eyes wide, exclaimed _"Ewwwww!"_

"What's wrong?" Boober asked, alarmed.

"It's sour!" Poncle said indignantly.

Janken said, "They're edible, but they don't taste good. I found that out the hard way too."

Boober held out a hand to Poncle. She was happy to give him the rest of the fruit. He sniffed it, then took a small bite. After chewing it thoughtfully, he said, "Give me the rest of those."

Scooter suggested, "You could give them to the trash heap. Janken did. She loved them."

Boober replied, "Actually, I want to try making jelly."

Scooter said, "Sage."

Sage, sitting on Janken's other side, looked up from the fern head she was munching. Scooter held out something translucent.

She accepted it. It was green and flat, with smooth, rounded edges, and as big as the palm of her hand. Scooter had found the bit of glass, polished and aged by years in the water, in the riverbed. She looked at it, turning it over between her hands, then holding it up and peering through it to see how it changed the color of the world. She said with a big grin, "Thanks!"

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Fraggles except Janken, Sage, and Poncle are copyright © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters and properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Sage, Janken, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	13. 13: Good Evening, Friends

**Brothers and Sisters  
Part 13: Good Evening, Friends**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

The strains of _Für Elise_, as played on a charmingly out-of-tune upright piano, meandered through the Muppets' boarding house. It was nearly empty now; nearly all of the Muppets were making the most of the two-week break between shows. Fewer than half were even in the city now.

Rowlf the Dog was relishing being able to play whatever hit his whim on the piano without having to tune out a television, ten different conversations, and the Electric Mayhem. When he was not at the piano he was taking himself for walks, napping on the sofa, hanging around with those friends who were still in town, and generally loafing. He was enjoying himself immensely.

The phone rang. He stopped playing, ambled over, and picked it up. "Rowlf here."

"Hi, Rowlf. It's Scooter."

"Oh, hi, Scooter. How you guys doing?"

"We're great. In fact, Skeeter and Janken and I are having such a good time camping out here that we're gonna stay a little longer. We'll come back on Wednesday instead of today. That'll still give me time to deal with anything that comes up before the next show."

"I'll put up a note about it. Have fun. Take some time to sniff the trees."

Scooter chuckled. "Oh, and I probably won't be in a place that gets good reception, so tell them not to be worried if I don't answer my phone."

"I will."

"Thanks, Rowlf. See you next week."

"See you."

Rowlf hung up the phone. He found some paper and wrote a note about Scooter's revised return date and phone situation, and tacked it up where everyone would be sure to see it: on the refrigerator door. Then he opened it, took out a bone that he'd been saving, and went out to the back yard.

* * *

Scooter turned his phone off and put it back in his backpack. The tent that he, Skeeter, and Janken had brought, plus their sleeping bags and everything else they had carried in, were packed up. Janken was sitting on the sleeping bags. Skeeter came back down the path. She said, "I let the guys at the station know we'd be here longer so they won't send out the hounds when we don't leave on schedule. Did you phone home?"

"Yeah. Rowlf's going to let everyone know."

"Cool. Let's move this stuff."

The three picked up their equipment and carried it off into the woods so nobody would come upon an abandoned-looking campsite and get worried. The tents and bedding would keep in the cave just inside the tunnel while they spent the rest of their vacation with their new family in Fraggle Rock.

* * *

Scooter, Skeeter, and Rowlf are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. All copyrighted characters and properties are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


	14. 14: The Outtake Reel

**Brothers and Sisters  
Special Feature: The Outtake Reel**  
by Kim McFarland

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Take 1:**

[Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken are sitting at a campfire.]

Skeeter: So when're you getting married?

[Janken and Scooter react with surprise.]

Janken: [to Scooter] Why, are you pregnant?

Scooter: No. Are you?

Janken: Of course not. You lost the coin toss, remember?

**Take 3:**

[Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken are sitting at a campfire.]

Skeeter: So when're you getting married?

[Janken and Scooter react with surprise.]

Janken: [to Scooter] Why, are you pregnant?

Scooter: No, are you?

Janken: Um, well... [sheepish smile]

**Take 7:**

[Scooter, Skeeter, and Janken are sitting at a campfire.]

Skeeter: So when're you getting married?

[Janken and Scooter react with surprise.]

Janken: [to Scooter] Why, are you pregnant?

Scooter: No. Are you?

Janken: Not yet.

Skeeter: Can we please do this scene, Janken? I've got a lunch date.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

[Skeeter, Scooter, and Janken are walking through the woods. Skeeter finds some fur snagged on a bush. The three puzzle over it for a moment.]

Janken: Maybe someone's dog got loose?

Skeeter: [doubtfully] Maybe.

Scooter: That's Fraggle fur.

Janken: How do you know?

[Scooter bends down and picks up Traveling Matt's white hat.]

* * *

**Chapter 5**

[Everyone is in the Great Hall. Poncle is sitting on Red's shoulders.]

Poncle: Look what I can do with my tail!

[Poncle wraps her tail around Red's neck, then falls backwards, choking Red.]

* * *

**Chapter 8**

[Janken and Scooter are alone on the mossy side of a pond in a cozy cavelet.]

Scooter: Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Fraggle?

Janken: Would you like me to?

* * *

**Chapter 9**

[Scooter is plucking on the strings of the guitar, trying to find the chords. He picks out the first few notes of the song. Gobo plays the same notes. Scooter looks up, then plays another few, which Gobo imitates. Soon they are playing _Dueling Banjos._]

* * *

**Chapter 11**

[Sage and Janken are sitting side-by-side, arms around each other, behind the Gorgs' garden.]

Janken: I'm sorry, Sage. I didn't realize how you felt. I do now. My pajamas were so soft, and they smell perfect. You must have used a new mossie. And the blueberry quickbread... you remembered that's my favorite. Thank you.

Sage: You've got another family in Outer Space now. I'm glad that you're happy with them. But... while you're here, couldn't you be my mother too?

[They stare at each other for a beat. Then both begin giggling.]

* * *

Scooter and Skeeter are copyright © The Muppets Studio, LLC. Gobo and Red Fraggle are © The Jim Henson Company, LLC. All copyrighted characters are used without permission but with much respect and affection. Janken, Sage, and Poncle Fraggle and the overall story are copyright © Kim McFarland (negaduck9 at aol dot com). Permission is given by the author to copy it for personal use only.


End file.
